Rekindle
by Shadow Strabi-star22
Summary: Klare Ahri, the last descendant of the Ahri Clan, wishes nothing more than wiping inferior species off the planet...specifically exorcists but as a whole: humans. Her lust for blood and drive to kill overwhelms even the most ruthless of daemons, making her a very dangerous enemy. With only a band of misfits to guide her, the veil of mistrust slowly crumbles away. (Velvet/Rokurou)
1. Chapter 1: Prisoner

**A/N** : New story idea. Ugh I really got to stop my brain from overloading. But here we go cause I gotta get it out of my system.

Disclaimer: I do now own any of the characters except my own OC. Tales of Berseria belongs to the rightful owner.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Prisoner**

My story begins after I had been captured and thrown into this deep dungeon, not a very nice way to start off with I suppose. Frankly I myself barely remember my own childhood, only flashes of memories appear from time to time but they would be all be scattered like puzzle pieces. One things for certain, I felt myself becoming very angry and the longer I stayed behind bars, the worse my feelings got. Anger. Hatred. Kill. Those three were constantly swirling around me and it was taking a toll on my sanity no doubt. I could hear the other prisoners in the adjacent rooms but they were none of my concern.

As days turned into months and then into years I grew older while being malnourished. I was practically living in Hell. The banging on the doors, the walls and even the stomping of guards above my head greatly increased my horrible mood. My care taker, did I mention that I had someone babysitting me? Well I did. He would always come and throw in some poor morsel for me to feed upon, stating "I'm so glad it isn't me being used as prey". At first I thought of it as a game, playing with my food normally before getting bored when they died. Slowly the amount of bodies accumulated to where my caretaker refused to come and see me. At first I thought he was playing a game with me but after awhile I realized he abandoned me. I could care less...that's why I refused to bond ties because that'd make saying goodbyes that much harder.

Life wasn't as bad as it seemed but to me, I felt cheated. Robbed. Left to suffer alone. Anyone I came across I treated them as enemies, no matter the situation. It's either kill or be killed...I lived by that rule and always will. Eventually I killed all the 'presents' that were given to me, watching the blood run though my claws. I lapped up every drop but it was never satisfying and it didn't seem to get rid of the burning hatred cultivating within me. In fact the sticky liquid acted as fuel and the flame kept growing, growing to the point where all I ever see is red. Red like blood. Red like roses. Red like insanity and madness.

This is my story. My redemption. My journey. How one girl saved me and I in turn got the opportunity to glimpse at the wide world with my own two eyes. We learned a lot from each other. We fought together in battle and sometimes out of battle. To me, she ended up becoming an important ally. A friend for life. Perhaps something even more beyond that. I want to tell you this tale because it shaped me to what I am. My feelings since then had slowly changed but I firmly believed that I had been blessed because of her.

* * *

 _Dark dungeon...  
_

I opened my eyes, gazing up at the grated ceiling with weary eyes. My stomach rumbled noisy but I ignore it and suppressed my hunger the best I could. There was no point in crying and begging...not to those who threw me in. I looked towards the walls and with a claw, etched a mark. It's been too long and I lost count as to how long I had been kept in my filthy so-called home.

 _I hate humans..._ I slowly closed my eyes and reopened them. _To be more exact...Exorcists._ My throat vibrated slightly as I growled at the word. It left a vile taste in my mouth. _They are the bane of my existence...They are the reason why I'm here._ Shaking my head I stood up and began to stretch, opening my maul to reveal rows of sharp canines. I appreciated the powers I inherited from my mother, as well as my entire linage of deities and thus I found myself in my other form more often than not, some much so that I didn't want to revert to my fragile human form.

Careful not to abuse your power. Everything has its limit. It's not wise for one to exceed it.

 _Of course...my mother often warned me of such things every single time she got the chance. It was like she didn't trust me one little bit._ Once my hind legs were properly warmed up I proceeded to groom the fur on my pelt, drawing my tongue slowly across my side. It's how my routine began and a habit I could not break. Appearance is key no matter where you were.

"Listen up! I'm opening every door to every cell!" A strong voice but definitely female echoed through the halls, mildly drawing my attention as I paused in my grooming process. To my knowledge prison mates rarely spoke to each other, that was just how the place was laid out. What's interesting is the further down you go, passing every single door until you reach mine, the stench of death grew till it was overwhelming. It was no surprise to me and I didn't really wanted any visitors. "We're getting off this island!"

"What the hell? Are you serious?!"

"There's no way this can be true..."

 _Unlock the doors...getting off this island?_ I thought as muffled whispers rose up from all sides and deemed myself as groomed. Never had I heard such words be ordered. Somehow I felt as though I was drawn...to the mysterious call. However lack of socialization left me in an ocean of distrust...more like absolute disdain for lesser beings. Blowing hot air in a huff I ambled over to the far corner and curled up into a ball, laying my head over my paws. _Bah...sounds like a whole lot of empty promises...spoken to give the masses something to hold on to. To believe in. To have the faintest hope of survival and to keep struggling until the end._

"Split into two groups and rush the front and rear gates!" The girl continued to rattle off orders. "Break through the gates, and you'll have a ship!"

"But aren't they guarded by exorcists?" A timid voice replied. "I mean, that pirate Van Aifread's the only one who's ever broken outta here!"

 _Van Aifread?_ My ear swiveled so I could listen in. _Who was that? First time I've ever heard such a name.  
_

"He didn't pull it off just by himself ya know." Another gruff voice spoke. "He was hauled out by some old exorcist named Melchior or something."

"I won't force you! You want to rot in here, then rot!" The girl's voice snapped like a whip and it sounded like she was dead serious. "So! What's your answer?"

"Well then why the hell not?! I'm with you!"

"I'm gonna go home to my family!"

"Yeah! We have to show those bastards how its done!"

"I'm sick of the slop they feed us! I'm gonna have a real meal after this is over!"

"Let us fight those who chained us in this hellhole for as long as we live!" Roars of approval filled the air as some of the prisoners banged their fists against the bars, others stomping their feet. The sounds of locks being broken reached my ears before the sound of multiple doors opening.

 _Seems like they are about to have the time of their lives..._ I closed my eyes and attempted to sleep amidst the pounding of feet and the cries for exorcists. _I wonder...how many will survive in this war?_ Opening my eyes to narrow slits I thought about it some more. _In the end...In the end it wouldn't change anything. That's just how all exorcist fights end up being.  
_

"What's in that room? The lock on that one looks different...I can feel...some sort of presence leaking through it."

"Velvet, are you sure you want to go into this one?" The voice, a different from the first one, spoke up and I could smell the scents approaching my door. "I'm not sure what's in there...or if there is anything for that matter."

"We don't know unless we try." The one known as Velvet replied and there was a 'click', indicating that my door had been unlocked. The door swung open and two people walked in, one with raven colored hair, the other red. They came to a halt in the middle of my den and looked around apprehensively.

"It's definitely bigger than the other prisoner cells we've seen. Probably used to house a giant creature." The red head noted before turning to her companion. "What do you think Velvet?"

"This place reeks...I've never smelled death up close and personal like this..." The raven-haired girl, the one known as Velvet, commented after a minute and her nose wrinkled up with disgust. "I shouldn't be surprised to be honest."

"It seems...some mice has entered my room." The two women stiffened as I rose from the corner I had been secluded myself in. There wasn't much light to begin with but they could see the luminous fiery orbs of my eyes, seemingly floating in the air. "To whom do I owe the pleasure of speaking with?"

"What's it to you?" Velvet spoke as she looked at me with emotionless eyes. "Are you a daemon?" The ground trembled and my claws came down adjacent to them as I stepped forward, watching them flinch at my appearance. I leaned down and curled my lips and unleashed a blood-curling roar, almost ripping the door off its hinges. Laughing out loud to their facial expressions I snapped my fingers and engulfed myself in a tornado of blue inferno. Once it calmed down I showed them my true self, a mere girl with three whisker-like features on both cheeks. Two black fox ears wiggled on top of my head while all nine of my tails fanned themselves around me. I wasn't wearing any garments but I wasn't bashful at all at my nudity. While my body gave the impression of an eighteen year old, I was a little older but I couldn't tell you exactly how old I was.

"I am a free spirit. I am bound to no one and will never be bound. I live how I want." I flicked one of my tails with annoyance before looking at the ground and muttered, "My clan had been wiped out, demolished by the exorcists before we even knew what was going on. My mother protected me with her very life, making sure I was safe before running to her doom. I felt so helpless. The worst part of it was...I got a front row seat. Oh yes! I saw them skin my mother alive from the hole I was hiding in, my ears constantly ringing with her cries. Every night since then I cried myself to sleep. Cursed myself for being weak and useless."

I wrapped myself in my tails, making a fur barrier as I recounted my tale, knowing that we'd have some time to chat. "After they skinned her, fur such as hers is high-quality material and would fetch a hefty price to be turned into a coat, she was beheaded and her head stood on a pike where the exorcists mounted in the middle of the ground. They jeered at her before leaving, didn't bother to look over their shoulders. It took a lot of courage but I managed to remove her head from the stake and gave my mother a proper burial. Since then...I've made Exorcists my enemy...any and all will be obliterate by me."

"...lost your mother huh." The raven-haired girl said, her golden eyes flickered briefly with sympathy. "So you know what it's like to lose someone that meant something important to you..."

"You lost someone important too...? Is that why you are a daemon?" I regarded her calmly before the sounds of metal against stones reached my ears and I sat up, my smoldering amber eyes flaring up in agitation. Standing up I walked briskly past my guests and pressed an ear near the wall. After a minute of silence my furry ears twitched and I stood back with a weary grin. "Sounds like my meal...has arrived. However...it wouldn't be satisfying...as usual."

"What do you intend on doing?"

"Once I lay my Curse there is no hope for a cure. It's a one-way instant kill that may take awhile to kick in depending on endurance level." I turned to look at them from over my shoulder before gazing forlornly at the iron bracelet on my right wrist. It pulsed once and I growled under my breath. "Well...at least I used to be able to cast it without any problems. Now this thing is what's hindering...my full power. Under normal circumstances I could just lay the Curse just by brushing one of tails like so..." I willed one of my tails to lightly brush against Velvet, drawing it slowly underneath her chin and the girl stiffened up as I did so. I withdrew and she released the breath she had been holding in. "Now I have to make the complicated hand gestures. So tedious..."

"Why can't you break it off?" asked Velvet, indicating with a finger toward the bracelet. "A being such as yourself should have no problem doing so?"

"It's tough." I swung my right arm back, hitting it hard against the wall. The chains rattled but the object didn't even have a scratch. When I removed my limb from the wall there was a good size hole in its place. "I decided it wasn't worth my time and left it on. It's definitely problematic down the road but in due time I'll be able to get it off. Luckily it hadn't been enchanted otherwise I'd be in more shit."

"Who put it on you?"

"Those bastards from above did. That's how I came into this prison. I was captured but somehow my life was spared, most likely because I was young at the time...and considered as 'harmless'. So they just put this thing on me and tossed me in this place so I could rot on my own time. Well jokes on them!" With a sinister sneer upon my face I proceeded to walk out of my confinement, looking over my shoulder before saying, "I want nothing more than getting out of here."

"So you're just going to be all brute force about this?" The raven-haired woman questioned. "Isn't that a bit fool-hardy?"

"If there's anything I learned from my captivity...well...sometimes you just have to trust your gut instincts. And believe me, I haven't eaten anything solid since my capture. I've fed off the blood of those thrown into my den, hence those dried up husks you see there." I pointed to a huge pile of disgusting skeletons and huffed. "The meat on those were either too dry or leathery to chew properly."

"Look we can chat here all we like about how...uneatable the meal was but we have someplace to be." The masked woman cut in. "And do put something on..."

"Prude." was all I said before rummaging around discarded scraps and pulled out a very old and tattered cloak. Dusting it off I wrapped it around my shoulders and clasped it in place. I looked up at my guests with my head tilted. "Are you satisfied? If that's the case then I'll go and make myself useful...turning those cretins into meat kabobs!" Turning on my heels I proceeded to walk towards the exit.

"Hey kid." I paused, hearing Velvet call out to me. I turned, seeing her eye me in curiosity. "What's your name?"

"My name...It's Klare. I'm a descendant of the Ahri Clan." with that I rushed out of my cell and disappeared, my feet making the softest of noises when they touched the ground. My senses, while on the alert, made me experience Heaven; no bars, no barriers. For so long I had been caged and now, I can't wait to spill the blood of my enemies once again.


	2. Chapter 2: Breaking out

**A/N** : Chapter 2 of _Rekindle_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except OC. Tales of Berseria belongs to the rightful owner.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Breaking out**

 _Dungeon..._

"Was she truly a descendant of that clan?" Velvet looked at her companion in confusion as her red-head companion continued to mutter under her breath. "It can't be..." She nibbled on her bottom lip and shook her head from side to side, her voice still no more than a mumble.

"Seres, what are you mumbling about? If you have something to say why don't you speak up?"

"I've only read about them in restricted books. But Velvet, did you notice the color of her fur?" Seres asked, watching the raven-haired girl narrow her eyes from behind the mask.

"Her fur? What about it?"

"It was black. Fur of that color within the Ahri Clan means that it's been tainted. While it's true that their Curse is by far the deadliest in the world those with tainted furs are the ones whose Curses produce unknown effects. Not much could be obtained from the archives last time I checked."

"Then it looks like the archives need an update." Velvet stated, giving the cell one last look around. Aside from the crates that were stacked high towards the ceiling, nothing of value seemed to catch her eye. "Lets get going. The longer I stay here the more I want to puke on the smell." The malak dipped her head in acknowledgment and followed the raven-haired girl out. They went from room to room, cracking open chests that either held weapons, potions, or equipment. It was the same routine of trying to find things that would aid them in their escape.

"Dear me, not a word of apology?!" A voice spoke just as Velvet entered another spacious chamber. The girl stopped and looked around, trying to locate where the sound came from. At first she didn't see anything and she wondered if her mind was playing tricks on her but she banished the thought.

"Huh?!" Noticing the mysterious presence behind her as well as a breath on her neck, she swung out with her arm; the gauntlet attached to her arm already had the blade outside its sheath, ready to slice through flesh. Her taunter merely ducked underneath the blade, her eyes shining mischievously by the greeting before taking a step back. She appeared to be a girl with long platinum-blond hair cascading all the way to her ankles. Her clothes, an eclectic mix of pink and blue with hints of lavender resembled a court jester's uniform. There were books hanging around her skirt with locks upon them, most likely not for decorative purposes.

"Hmph! What is WRONG with you people?" She suddenly asked dramatically, shocking the other two with her outburst. "There I was, sleeping like a sweet babe, when suddenly...from paradise down to hell! No, worse! A grimy prison cell!"

"Can I...help you?" Velvet asked, unsure how to act. She's never met someone as dramatic or...expressive as the girl before her.

"Hehehe...you see why I'm not feeling well."

"And you are?" asked Seres, reminding them of her presence.

"Hooray, you asked!" The girl clapped her hands once with glee at the question. "I'm thrilled to introduce to you the wise sorceress who travels the eleven seas, who scoffs at the might of dragons...None other than the acclaimed, the illustrious Mazhigigika Miludin do Din Nolurun Dou! Magilou for short."

"Maggie-lou...?" Velvet repeated, rolling the name on her tongue. _At least I don't have to pronounce her entire name..._

"No!" Magilou pointed a finger at her with a pout. "Say it with me! 'Mah', like 'soggy shoe' or 'doggie doo' or 'call me any of those things and I'll turn you into a froggy-stew!'"

"...excuse me...?"

"I suppose you'll never understand." Magilou gave up, sighing as if to release her emotions of helplessness. "Hmph! People can be so tragically unlearned. But hey...like I care!"

"Sorry to cut our meeting short but have you seen another person come by here?" Seres asked.

"You're gonna have to be more specific than that!" Magilou pointed out. "I've seen a lot of people come and go, anyone would do."

"A girl."

"What kind of girl?"

"Forget it Seres, we're wasting our time the longer we stay here." Velvet spoke before the red head opened her mouth to answer. "We'll search for her on our own."

"Good luck to you both then~" With a cheerful whistle and placing her hands behind her head, Magilou walked off and disappeared out of sight. Noting a passage on the opposite side of the room the two of them hurried through. Along the way they found a couple of objects inside treasure chests, some that were worthless and some that could potentially come in handy.

"She was..an interesting character wasn't she." Velvet commented, giving Seres a quick glance. "I've never met someone quite like her."

"Interesting to say the least but...I don't know if I could be in a room for more than 20 minutes with her." Seres replied. "Of course I'm sure the more time I spend with her I'd might pick up a thing or two. But that's just about it."

"Arrrrrgh!" A scream of pain caught their attention before a body of an exorcist flew past them, a nasty wound on the front of his chest. Running onto the scene they were surprised to see more bodies littered around, some of them bodies of the prisoners that just escaped captivity. The girls turned their attention to the main battle where I was locked tooth and nail against another person.

He was taller than I by a good two feet, his spiky black hair tied into a low ponytail. Traditional clothing indicated that he was some sort of a samurai with his right shoulder being covered in armor; there were multiple scratch marks upon it from where I raked my nails upon it. He rushed forward, ramming the armor plate into my chest to throw me off balance. Gripping his weapons with his hands he lunged forward with the intent to kill.

Biting back my lips and digging my fingers into the tile flooring to slow myself down, I used my tails to defend and counter-attack against his charge. His eyes widened with surprise when tails from different angles rushed at him and he did his best to fend them off, focusing more on defense than attack. The intent of killing was radiating off my body much thicker than his and he somersaulted back to get out of range of my tails.

We flew at each other again, locked hand in hand and snarling at each other. The tile flooring underneath us cracked and shattered due to the amount of power we were exhibiting . Our attacks, our movements were blurred as the sounds of nails against metal clashed. Soon we broke apart, breathing heavily. Blood dripped from my forearms from where his blades nicked me while blood dripped from his face from where I clawed him. The blades that he used lay at his feet broken and unusable.

"Hmph. More?" The man spoke as his gaze shifted to look over my shoulder. If his physical feature didn't make them jump the glowing red eye and black markings on almost half of his face surely did. "You got my sword?"

"You got the decency to say hello?" I bit back the retort but didn't miss the opportunity to jab at him with words. "Is that how you normally greet people you don't know?"

"If I feel like being nice I'll say the normal, 'Hello, how are you?' but lately I've been 'attack first, ask questions later'." His mouth slowly twisted up into a grin. "Isn't that why we're in this predicament?"

"Touche. But to be fair you came in while I was trying to eat."

"Ew, you'd actually eat other people?" He lifted a finger and made gesture similar to throwing up, accompanied with a gagging sound. "Disgusting."

"Hey man, I'll take what I can get. Beggars can't be choosers."

"That one...He's a daemon!" Seres commented as the man pulled out two new blades that were hidden in his sleeves. Of course he would have extras to replace the broken blades, not wanting to be left defenseless. "No wonder he got ride of the others easily."

"Not her though..." Velvet spoke, making eye contact with me. I knew she wanted to know more about me but I won't give anything else from what she already knew. "She's powerful."

"Are you in cohorts with this one?" The man asked, pointing a blade in my direction. "So you did call for back up. I should have known!"

"Foolish samurai." I replied, watching his eyebrows twitch. "Trust isn't something I give to anyone. Besides...someone who absorbs daemons, tagged along with a malak...I'd be weary. We did have a nice chat but that was about it."

"H-How'd you..."

"I can smell it. The power given off by your left arm...it's overwhelming." I gave Velvet a knowing look before my gaze lowered to look at the limb wrapped in bandages. "Even I know not to get too comfortable..."

"I'm surprised that you can get all that information without us telling you." Seres spoke up.

"Our sense of smell is highly superior in comparison to others." I stated like it was common knowledge. "Like how I knew that guy isn't fighting me with his full potential."

"I could say the same for you...that thing around your right wrist isn't ordinary." He jabbed back, causing the chains to clinked together when I gazed down at the said arm. "I can see the aura oozing from it."

"So what do you two plan to do now?" asked Velvet. "Will you continue to fight?"

"..he's strong." I admitted, raising my right arm to lick at a cut. Little wisp of steam began to rise as I continued licking and the wound healed thanks to the saliva. I did the same thing to my other arm before continuing, "Stronger than what I have dealt with in the past. But I would love to fight him if he were at his best. And my goal of escaping this place and get some real food outweighs my desire to fight..."

"I too feel the same way but seeing how blades such as these could get chips on them easily..." The samurai scowled as he put his blades away in his long sleeves. "Brittle, these exorcist knives. Doesn't make a battle enjoyable but I gotta reclaim Stormhowl as soon as possible. Only then will I ask her for a rematch."

"Stormhowl?" Velvet blinked when she recognized the name. "That sword we found?" His eyes lit up like an excited child and he quickly grabbed her arms, pleading to know where it was. "It's in a storage room...down below."

"Down below? You have my thanks!" He smiled and rushed off. "We'll have our rematch soon, little girl!"

"Oh I can't wait..." I drawled, watching him disappear before turning my attention to the exit. "Now then..."

"Hold it." Velvet called and I looked over at them with a curious expression. "Say you get out, what do you plan to do next?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I tilted my head to the side. "I'm gonna destroy those exorcists till they're nothing but ashes underneath my claws." I placed my hands together and rubbed them together, mimicking what I would do if I had my opponents in my grasp. "I'll grind and grind and grind."

"Funny I thought you were going to erase mankind like most would want...seeing as they were imprisoned here because of the Abbey..."

"That comes second on my list." I laughed at the look on their faces. "No...my true enemies are the exorcists and the accursed Abbey whatever that is like you mentioned. As for what happens after I couldn't possibly tell you since I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Why do you fight?" Seres asked. "For what purpose?"

"That's an easy one...I kill for survival. For years I've spent living in this hell hole. All I see is red, red like blood. Anger fuels me, Killing drives me. I would like nothing more than to rip apart my enemies." I skipped to the exit before looking back at them. "Now lets go before things quiet down, assuming the other sacrificial pawns haven't been slaughtered already. Listen, I'm not tagging along because I'm some friend but you and I have the same goal in mind. Besides, you guys could be useful later."

* * *

 _Outside..._

When we reached the outside world I was baffled by all the scents that bombarded my nose. The light rain falling seemed to be kissing my face and I held my hands out to catch as many droplets as I could. Closing my eyes I relished the coolness of the rain and took a deep breath. It was nothing like the humid stench of my dungeon, this was pure air that filled my lungs.

"You're crying." Velvet pointed out when I opened my eyes. "Kind of the reaction I'd expect."

"I mean how else would I react to this...first time in a long time since I've...been outside." I sighed and wiped the tears away with the back of my right hand. "I tend to be sentimental about these sort of things."

"The path has collapsed." Seres spoke up, getting our attention. She had walked over to the edge to gauge the situation, noting the crumbled pieces below the tower. "That rope we found earlier won't do any good." It was then that I was able to get a good look at the left arm when it changed appearance on Velvet's will.

"That doesn't seem to be a problem."

"Wait! You're not seriously going to try it, are you?!"

"He fell further than this back at the shrine." Velvet spoke as she ignored Seres and prepared to jump. "I'm not scared."

"I like her idea." I grinned, getting a look from the malak. "Although from this height and in this form I would most likely die...But I need a running start!" Putting enough distance between me and where the walls ended I began to run.

"What are you-?!" Velvet watched as I zoomed past her, taking a leap as far as my legs could possibly carry me. Lightning flashed through the air, illuminating the wide grin on my face. Snapping my fingers I turned into my beast form, the exact same one they saw when we first met. My eyes narrowed through the veil of rain and I dug my claws into the side of the cliff to break my fall.

 _Tch...it's too slippery thanks to the rain._ I growled, feeling the slickness of the rocks and mud under my claws. But! Raising my body temperature I began running along the side of the cliffs, each step leaving a scorched mark in its wake. Once solid ground could be seen I hopped down, landing on all fours. The earth trembled for a minute before it fell silent and I gazed at how muddy my hands and feet were. _Gonna have to wash soon...A hot bath sounds good right about now.  
_

A thump reached my ears as Velvet tumbled to a halt by my feet, the expression on her face told me that she dislocated her shoulder while attempted to slow herself down. Getting up, she ambled over to the cliff and rammed the shoulder back into its socket, emitting a pained cry as she did so. Taking a deep breath she held up her hand and wiggled her fingers to make sure they work.

"You're both strong...but reckless at the exact same time." Seres appeared next, walking out of a portal she conjured up. Holding out a hand she began to heal Velvet, relieving her of any discomfort. "To go so far...I would almost think an 'oath' was taken..."

"An oath...?" My voice rumbled deep as I watched them. Suddenly the iron bracelet on my wrist pulsed, warning me that I couldn't keep my form for long. That's another reason why I hated it, it not only cut my power drastically but it also limited how long I could hold my beast form. With a sigh I changed back, a look of contempt and anger on my face. "Cursed bracelet!"

"It's a ritual that grants special powers if the oath-taker abides by certain restrictions." Seres explained after the healing process was done. "The harsher the restrictions, the greater the power one may command. In a very real sense, an oath is a sort of—"

"Curse, right?" Velvet narrowed her eyes for a minute before turning on her heels. This was the first time I actually noticed frustration flash through her eyes. "Well guess what? You're the ones who did this to me."

"I am aware...that's why I chose you." Seres mumbled.

"Sounds like you two have a rough relationship..." I smirked as I followed Velvet. There was only one path once we were out of the rain and back underneath the ground, in another portion of the jail.

"We...are a bit complicated but I stand by what I said." The red-haired malak replied tartly. "This way leads to the main entrance so it's highly recommended we stay on our guard."

"The guards expect us at the rear, not the front." Velvet told us, still running on ahead. "If they know you're here, they'll have found your ship by now." She threw open a pair of doors and we filed in. "We're almost there. That door is all that's standing between us and getting out of this place."

"That's quite enough." A male's voice spoke, bringing us to a stop. Two guards and one exorcist blocked our path. "This is as far as you will go." His neat, combed back premium-blond hair contrasted well against his light skin while his green eyes stood out like a thumb. His uniform which hugged his tall build nicely, gave away his high position as an exorcist. Long white gloves, black pants and a long white cape completed his look.

"Oscar...I had no idea an exorcist praetor had been assigned to this island." Seres said, surprised at his appearance. She also sounded a little nervous which I took to mean that the man that stood before us wasn't some small fry.

"You surprise me, Seres." He replied, his voice calm and commanding. "Aiding criminals now, are you? Did Lord Artorius request this?"

"No. I'm acting on my own." She answered without any hesitation nor doubt in her voice.

 _Lord...Artorius? Who's that?_ I thought to myself as I took a whiff of air. Aside from the exorcist, he also had a lance user and a mage wielder. My fingers flexed and I couldn't help but lick my lips a bit. _I wonder what their flesh taste like..._

"A malak with free will? And yet...I sense someone's strings guiding you." Oscar's gaze fluttered to glare at Velvet and I. The former quickly getting into a battle stance, seemingly threatened by the look. I kept my gaze neutral.

"Hold on." Seres intervened, knowing full well what was going through Velvet's mind. She somehow had a feeling something like this would happen but with the enemy standing before them, she had to take precautions. "A praetor is far more dangerous than an orderly."

"I'm all out of subterfuge. And besides, if we can't overpower this one, our end goal was hopeless to begin with." Velvet narrowed her eyes, any room for negotiation had flew out the window. She didn't escape just to talk with exorcists, she didn't have the time of day.

"You're a daemon, but still a lady, so I'll show you due respect. I am Oscar Dragonia, praetor of the Abbey of the Holy Midgand Empire. Who might you be?" When a minute of silence passed between them and Velvet refused to answer, he scoffed loudly. "Hmm...alright then, 'Graceless Daemon' it is then." His eyes wandered over to me since I haven't said a word during the exchange. "What about you? Will you answer?"

"I have a choice don't I?" I held up my right hand, showing him the bracelet still chained to my wrist. "First answer me this. Can you take this off me?"

"A restriction bracelet? Only Lord Artorius can break it." Oscar shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have that kind of power."

"I don't suppose you'll take me to see him and have it removed?"

"It's not as simple as you think. I can't just walk in and ask my Lord to remove it, who's to say you won't hurt my liege once you become free? I can't allow that to happen. However...if you willingly surrender yourself without a fuss and swear loyalty to me then I might be able to bend some rules."

"I see..." I lowered my arm and started to chuckle. I calmed myself down after a good ten minutes of laughter. "Then...I'll just have to destroy it myself one way or another. As to surrendering and selling myself to the Abbey, I'm afraid that option is not valid." My stomach growled loudly and I grinned. "I'm so hungry...and the food here hasn't been the most pleasant but you guys will suffice. I'm gonna eat you as a snack!"

"Bring it on then!" Oscar drew his sword and prepared to fight, his emerald eyes shining brightly at the challenge. "I'll lock you away! Right here and now!"


	3. Chapter 3: Setting Sail!

**A/N** : Chapter 3 of _Rekindle_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OC. Tales of Berseria belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Setting Sail!**

 _Underground chamber..._

I pounced on the lance wielder first who was surprised by my approach. Usually in a fight the one who is able to heal others are attacked first, according to my past experience. It is tedious if the opponent I'm fighting is healed every single time so the quickest way is to kill the healer. No lie...I was practically salivating just by looking at the lancer which was why I attacked him. I did debate whether I wanted to attack Oscar himself but decided against it since he would be a formidable foe than the other two.

The lance wielder deflected my punch with his weapon, watching the metal staff bend just a bit before throwing me back. Twisting my body mid-air I performed a few more flips before landing in a crouch and cracked a grin. Bunching my muscles together I flew at him once more, striking his shoulder with a solid punch that he couldn't block in time. He stumbled, looking at his broken limb before yelling at the healer for help.

"Nuh uh~" I wiggled my finger, ensnaring the mage with one of my tails before he could heal his comrade. "Not this time!" Opening my mouth I revealed rows of sharp canines and drew the mage closer. He freaked out and began to struggle against my hold, I could see the whites in his eyes.

 _SSSHHHIIIIIIING~_

"Ouch!" I yelped when an attack hit my side, releasing my hold on the mage who scrambled out of the way. Looking down I noticed blood running down my side and my gaze found Oscar's. While he was fighting against the other two he managed to direct an attack my way since I wasn't paying attention.

"Heh." A grin appeared on his face when he noticed my shocked expression. "You look speechless. Cat got your tongue?"

"Not bad...you actually managed to hurt me. No one's been able to do that in a long time" Drawing a finger across the wound I licked the blood off the finger and watched his grin turn into a thin line. A grin of my own stretched across my face. "Not bad at all!"

"You monster..."

"Yeah I've been called that multiple times, try to be a little more original." Coating my hand in saliva I dabbed it over the wound, smothering it until the cut healed and flicked the excess residue to the side. "There, much better."

"Huh...so you can self cure yourself. Kinda nifty." Oscar mused, back flipping as Velvet came in with a kick. Righting himself back up he released a huff, blowing a strand of hair that got in his face. "To be struggling a bit against you three is a feat not many have dared to accomplish. You are definitely skilled and worthy opponents."

"I guess we'll take that as a compliment." I mused while Velvet shrugged her shoulder. She could care less about what her opponent says unless she got out the of hell hole. She wanted nothing more than escaping and killing her main enemy.

"However everything must come to an end. I'll have to expend a malak or two for this." He cast the lance wielder a knowing glance and he nodded his head. Pressing his palms together he unleashed a dark energy that got my nose all wrinkled up. I dove to the side just as a wave of dark energy zoomed past, leaving a black mark on the tiles. Looking up I got into a hand-to-hand struggle against one of the mages who assumed that it would be an easy fight. It wasn't in his case.

"What are you doing?!" Seres yelled as I wrestled with the man, sinking my claws into his back and my teeth into his face. From over his shoulder I noticed the lance wielder letting out another dark energy attack our way so I kicked the mage, knocking him into the line of fire and watched him succumb into particles.

"Tch, and I lost my snack." I mused with disappointment. "What a wasted opportunity!"

"You have to control your feelings in order to control the tide of battle!" Oscar proclaimed, going toe-to-toe with Velvet. "That's why utilizing the 'tools' beside you to reach your goal is necessary!"

"More of your vaunted 'reason'?" She asked before engaging him in sword fight, baring her teeth in rage. However they didn't get far when the lance wielder– depending on too much dark power– let out a agonized cry. A dark pillar surrounded him and his transformed into a daemon, a dragon so to speak with lots of spikes and rusty red scales.

"Wow, a malak with daemonblight!" I smiled, eying the creature with interest while Velvet had the look of horror. "Now that's something I never thought possible!"

"Ungh! It's lost control!" Oscar growled as the newly formed dragon unleashed a roar, flapping his wings in intimidation. Of course the boy didn't even blink before he and one of his surviving mages were thrown to the opposite of the room, immediately rendered unable to fight.

"Grrrrr!" The winged beast turned his attention to the rest of us, his beady red eyes gleaming with interest. "Growr!"

"Velvet!" Seres yelled just as the dragon flew towards the raven-haired girl first, his right talon pulled back to strike position. Pouring all her energy into her legs, the red-haired malak threw her body in front and took the claw attack. She let out a pained cry when her back opened up but retaliated with a large fireball, sending the beast wheeling.

"Seres!" Velvet knelt down beside her, propping her up into her arms. "Seres! Answer me!" She looked at her hand to see that they were covered in blood.

"My wounds are fatal." Seres spoke weakly, gazing up into Velvet's eyes which were filled with concern. Throughout the journey, the little moment spent between them and managing to save the girl's life, Seres finally received an emotion that wasn't the cold-shoulder. "Please...consume me."

"But...!"

"Her healing trick will not heal what has been damaged. It's too late..." Seres shook her head, knowing what Velvet was trying to say. I knew it as well which was why I backed off, watching them from a distance while also keeping an eye on the dragon. The fire blast was really powerful to knock it out momentarily.

"I'm not about to—"

"My form is bound by an oath whose price is my life." said Seres, cutting Velvet off and almost pleaded for the girl to do what has to be done. "The time has come to pay. Feeding on my form will grant you strength, the strength to press forward. I ask only that you devour me."

"Why...?" Velvet asked, not wanting to do the deed unless she knows the reason behind it. "Why are you asking me of this?"

"A flame burns in my heart, too. A flame I cannot quench, no matter how hard I try. Just like you, Velvet." Reaching into a coat pocket she took out what looked to me like a comb. One of those ancient ones that no one carried around anymore.

"This...this was Laphi's!" Velvet gasped, holding the item with her hand. "Why did it fall into your possession?"

"This is why I cannot abide it...this frozen world...this frozen people..." Seres paused as her body was wrecked by coughing. "I'm just...that stubborn of a woman..."

"Seres..."

"Hurry!" The red-haired malak pleaded, pushing past Velvet's defenses in one last chance to push aside the doubts. "Before my life fades! Do it now!"

"Nnngh...!" Biting back any emotions that rise, Velvet forced her daemon arm to transform. She held Seres up into the air and said, "I offer no apology or thanks."

"I need neither. Our wishes." The mask broke, revealing a single red-colored eye. "...they are one...and the same..." She lifted both hands to hold onto Velvet's arm, gazing into the girl's widening eyes. "I treasure those days, when you and I..."

"Ggggnkkk." Velvet tightened her hold, trying to tune out Seres' voice but knew she couldn't.

"...and Arthur were...together." A single tear trickled down her cheek, down the hand and fell to the ground with a _splash_. With a scream Velvet ended her life and consumed the malak just as she wished. All of the memories flowed into her , she couldn't tell if they were real or not. Frankly she thought only she, Laphicet and Arthur were the only ones but really, Seres had been there all their lives.

The memories kept streaming and the more she watched the more she begun to believe in them. It brought back some painful memories of when she lost Laphicet but she gained insight of how Arthur had transformed. Through it all Seres had been there, watching in the background. Unable to listen to the Abbey's orders she finally differed and thus appeared by Velvet's side. As a last parting gift the flames of the malak came together to create a ring which Velvet held tightly in her hand.

"Ooooh, look at you obtaining something good." I walked up, hands folded behind my back. "That is a very useful object for someone like yourself."

"What...is it exactly?" She asked, slipping the ring over her finger and vowed to look at it when she had the time.

"That is the Sorcerer's Ring." I informed her, pulling up knowledge from when my caretaker came to have long chat sessions with me. It definitely helped with a caretaker was a bookworm, too bad I couldn't learn anything else from him before he decided to abandon me. "It enables the user to use Break Souls."

"Break Souls?"

"I guess it'd be better if you try it on that big boy instead of me trying to explain the mechanics." I gestured to the dragon who sensed a change in the air and rose to attack us. "Wouldn't hurt to get some revenge now will it!"

"Ungh...What is happening?" Oscar, regaining consciousness after being blown away, rose to his feet. Through his hazy vision he could see the massive wings of the beast and both Velvet and I preparing for battle. _Just the...two of them? What happened to...Seres?_ Then his eyes drifted to the ring on her finger and it clicked. "She absorbed the malak's power to wield as her own?! I've never seen such a daemon!"

"Move...If you don't...I'll eat you!" Velvet roared angrily. Seres' death meant something to her, it may not have made as huge of an impact as Laphicet's death or Arthur's betrayal but it still triggered a whirlwind of emotions. "Errrraghhh! Consuming Claw!"

"Now you're dealing some serious damage! Of course you can't use your Break Soul without paying some price. This is why you collect Souls, they help you activate your abilities! That's all I got, you'll probably want to research some more yourself...in the meantime..." I cracked my knuckles loudly and snapped my fingers. Immediately I transformed into my much bigger state. The dragon didn't flinch but sent a fireball to my face. It exploded but I merely waved a paw to get rid of the smoke. "I'm like a tank. You'll have to do better than that."

"Grrrrowarrrrrrr!" The dragon roared before I knocked it to the ground with a punch, damaging both wings in the process, crippling it.

"Shut up." Turning around I used all nine of my tails to slap it further into the ground. Deeper and deeper and deeper the daemon's body went until it was as flat as it could go. "You're so noisy."

"That's my pray so scoot over and let me feed." Velvet stated calmly, almost expecting me to move so she could consume it.

"Are you serious?! You can't possibly tell me that when I was the one who killed it!" I shot back, giving her a shocked look before baring my teeth in anger. "How dare you say such thing to me!"

"It was a joint effort but I have no idea how to share it!"

"The last one who dealt the finishing blow gets to eat it! The last thing I want to do is share a kill!" I argued and before she could open her mouth to rebuttal my statement a green light zoomed in from the corner of my eye. It slammed into Velvet's side, knocking her back and it donned on me that there was still some unfinished business. "Well well, that wasn't a very nice way to interrupt two ladies now was it? Little boy."

"Apologies...but I can't let nasty daemons like you two roam freely, now." Oscar replied even though he wasn't at all sorry for what he did. "That'd look bad on my record."

"...Velvet. That's my name..." Velvet spoke as she got back on her feet, glaring at him. "You can give Artorius my regards." Lumbering towards the corpse, she quickly consumed it, in front of Oscar who could only watched with a horrified expression and in front of me but I was too slow to do anything about it. "My name is Velvet Crowe. And I will devour daemon, malak, and exorcist alike. I am a monster."

"What is she...?!" The praetor whispered.

"I am a THERION!" Conjuring a large fireball in the palm of her hand she sent it flying his way. He let out a pained cry as the flames began to consume him, covering his face with his hands in hoping of warding off the attack. He gave her one last look before the mage teleported them away.

"You know...I never got to eat anything today." I pouted as my stomach let out a loud range of noises. "Jesus isn't there anything I can snack on..."

"I hope this isn't a reoccurring thing." Velvet spoke.

"It wouldn't be if you'd just let me eat that daemon!" I barked back, wincing when the bracelet on my right wrist began to act up. I got out of my beast form and continued to scowl. "Really now! You get to feed on two things today and I got none!"

"Quit whining."

"Tch...fine! Whatever..." I ambled off, muttering under my breath. "I'll find something outside for sure...there's nothing in there worth breaking a tooth over..."

 _I was probably too hard on her...she didn't eat at all...I'll apologize when we meet again..._ Velvet took a deep breath before looking down at the comb still held within her fingers, the comb that belonged to Laphicet. She held it tightly against her almost as if her life depended on it. _At least I got something back...and with it some painful memories I wish could go away..._

"Oho! Finally someplace that might not be a death-trap!" A voice spoke up, getting our attention. Magilou and the man from before entered the chambers right after I left. "When we tumbled from the tower, I thought this is it, Magilou, this is the end!"

"It would've been less risky if you hadn't suddenly appeared and jumped on my back." The dark haired samurai stated hotly. He turned and noticed Velvet standing by herself and approached her. "Oh hey, it's you! Where's the other two ladies?"

"Funny I only saw one girl with her." Magilou said as she walked up as well. "Are you sure you aren't seeing things?"

"Can it you!" The man sighed, turning his attention back to Velvet. "It's thanks to you that Stormhowl is back in my care." He took a bow before introducing himself properly. "Rokurou Rangetsu at your service. This blade is my life and I owe you a great debt, one I vow to repay."

"Yes, yes, she's a peach and a model citizen. Can we get our move on?" Magilou interjected. "I think they're just about done massacring the rioters. Oh man do you wish you could see that blood show?"

"The docks are just ahead. Give me a hand." Velvet told them, turning on her heels and proceeding towards the double doors. "Also if you see the girl that was with me, get her to come with us. She's quite useful."

* * *

 _Outside..._

The rain continued to fall once I stepped out, harder than the last time I was out. I noticed the multitude of lightning strikes over the horizon and rubbed my arms together for warmth. There was only one boat that was docked and no guards in sight.

"Ugh...hunger pains such as this is killing me." I rubbed my stomach and sniffed around for anything edible. Padding to the edge I couldn't see deep enough due to the choppiness of the waves. Dipping my tails in I waited and hoped for a bite or two. When nothing happened I gave up and boarded the ship without another thought.

"There is no way we'll make it out there, not with those choppy waves." Rokurou was saying as he, Velvet and Magilou approached the docks. He looked out towards the sea and gave a distinctive sniff of distaste. "I'm not a sailor by any means but I know the difference between a rudder and a sail. But do you see that pathetic excuse for a ship? That thing's not even gonna last that long."

"I'll take what I can get. Do what you can and be grateful we have such a thing."

"You're leaving with a proper crew?!" Magilou exclaimed, stopping Velvet in her tracks with a look of horror on her face. "Now that's just suicidal!"

"You don't have to come if you don't want to." was the sharp reply. "No one's forcing you to come along."

"But I don't wanna stay here in this dark and gloomy place~" Magilou muttered under her breath. "But ten minutes in this storm, and you'll lose all sense of direction."

"No, we won't. Ships have compasses for a reason." Velvet assured her, remembering the words Laphicet told her. He was very intrigued by compasses when he was younger and hoped to joining her on a voyage one day. That was his dream.

"So it's rot in a jail cell or rot in a fish-tummy." The sorceress stated no so cheerfully as she followed Velvet and Rokurou. "Welp, guess it's your lucky day, fishies!"

"By the way, did any of you keep your eyes pealed for my other companion?" Velvet asked as they prepared to set sail. "We didn't by any chance miss her on the way up here did we?"

"Ummm...do you mean her?" Magilou asked, pointing to me as I lay on the deck, face down and unresponsive when they got on. "She's already made herself comfortable."

"She doesn't look too good though...I've never seen such paler skill color..." Rokurou noted, flipping me over and checking my pulse. "At least she's still breathing..."

"Is she seasick or what?" Magilou knelt down when Rokurou had to leave to direct the ship, getting the sails to point in the right direction. "I know sometimes my tummy does those flips but..."

 _GRRRRRRRRRROWLLLLLLLLLL~_

"Hun...hungry..." I gasped, holding up a shaking hand. I don't remember when I passed out but all I knew was that I was absolutely hungry and in need of some sustainable material. "F...Food..."

"So that's what it is." The sorceress disappeared to the level below before coming up empty. "Unfortunately this ship doesn't come with any food...what rotten luck!"

"Well we'll just have to brave the storm for now." Velvet said as she directed the course, feeling the vehicle get roughed about with the waves as it moved forward. The ship was so old that the compass that it should have was unreadable so she had to go with gut instinct. "Hopefully we'll land somewhere with a decent meal."


	4. Chapter 4: Figahl Icecaps

**A/N** : Chapter 4 of _Rekindle_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OC. Tales of Berseria belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Figahl Icecaps**

 _Some place cold..._

The first thing that crossed my mind was the fact that it was really cold. Like absolutely cold. If I thought death by starving was bad, death by starving on top of freezing temperature was way worse. But then again I forgot I could definitely wrap myself in my tails to keep warm but I didn't have energy to do so. A scent reached my nose, something sweet like fruit and my eyes snapped open immediately. There was a light green aura and I found myself staring into the curious green orbs of a child. Hunger outweighed everything rational as I pounced on instinct, pinning the kid beneath me. Something clattered against the snow but I only focused on my prey. He looked up with fear and shock, letting out a whimper.

"Oh what do we have here?" I purred, reaching out with a hand to touch his cheek. My hunger was off the charts and I couldn't stop my mouth from watering. "A malak? I've haven't had one in years! I wonder if I can remember the taste!"

"Aaaa...Aaaaaaaa..." He gasped and his body twitched unexpectedly.

"Ooof!" My eyes widened when his knee came up, catching me from underneath with a sharp jab. I held back the tears and glared at him. "W-Why you...!"

"LAPHICET!"

"Argh!" I yelped when a solid boot slammed into my side, knocking me off the child. He scrambled to his feet and ran off, disappearing into the snow-covered field without looking back, holding some kind of item in his hands. "What the hell...?"

"What do you think you're doing?!" Velvet yelled at me, hands planted firmly on her hips. She didn't even spare the malak a glance and continued to berate me on my behavior. "How could you attack a child like that?!"

"Urf...that was painful..." I grunted, still hunched over with my arms around my stomach. Lifting my head slightly I growled at her, "If I wasn't so hungry...I'd totally snap you in a second. Seeing as I don't have any energy...not to mention getting kneed and kicked...you're lucky I'm weak right now..."

"We'll probably get something for you across the icy tundra." Rokurou spoke as he and Magilou walked up. He rotated his head and sighed when his neck popped. "Or you know...if we can find something."

"I swear...if there isn't anything out here...to feast upon...I'll eat all of you." I got back to my feet, still woozy but able to walk. That's when the malak screamed and we turned to see a ravaged looking werewolf accompanied by an eagle prowling towards him. They weren't daemons, just regular wild animals picking on a weak target.

"You were saying?" Velvet noticed my pupils dilating and my canines beginning to grow. "There's some things you can eat."

"Those two...will make lovely snacks! Don't interfere!" I ran towards the monsters and snapped my fingers. Dark-colored fur grew out exponentially before I fell upon my victims, digging my claws into their bodies. The werewolf continuously clawed at the hand that pinned it while the eagle swooped down from above, its talons aiming for my eyes.

I noticed it coming in and snatched it out of the air, snapping its wings with my teeth so it wouldn't be able to fly any more. Adding more pressure I squished the werewolf flat, watching the limbs twitch before they fell silent. A grin slowly stretched across my maw as the scent of blood was driving me crazy and I loomed over both carcasses drooling. "It's chow time!"

"Wow, a daemon-munching creature. She really is a box of horrors." Magilou commented as she watched me tear and swallow the animals up loudly with a disgusted look on her face. "Also talk about bad eating manners. That's no way for a proper lady!"

"If I had a weapon I would have helped her but seeing how hungry she was I would've been practically useless." Rokurou noted. "Sucks that there isn't anything decent and can last long before breaking."

"You're wearing one." Velvet eyed Stormhowl that was strapped on his back. "Use it."

"Nah...I can't use it. It's a long story so I can't really summarize it to something simpler." The samurai shook his head, making an 'X' with his arms. "We better get going though, the kid disappeared and we need to get out of the cold. Not to mention our ship needs to be repaired as soon as possible."

"You two should go back as well." The raven-haired Therion turned to them with a word of warning. "Staying with me is a bad idea and I can't guarantee your safety when things go wrong."

"My debt is not yet repaid." Rokurou stated confidently as Magilou merely folded her hands behind her head. "Until it is, I will not leave your side."

"I can hardly go back without knowing from whence I'm from. We're lost and stranded shipwreck survivors, no?" The sorceress added, getting a sigh out of the raven-haired leader. "Like really what did you expect out of us?"

"Well then I expect this might come in handy." Rummaging around in his pocket Rokurou held up what seemed to be a map of sorts. It had all kinds of weird squiggly lines and shapes from one side of the parchment paper to the next. "Found it lying in the snow."

"Was that left by the malak?" asked Velvet as she inspected it closer. "How lucky are we."

"Looks to me like we're in Northgand."

"Northgand? Then if we're to reach the capital in Midgand, we have no choice but to patch up our ship."

"Of course we have to patch it up! How else are we supposed to get from point A to point B?" Magilou tapped the map and drew an imaginary line from where we currently were to Midgand. "See? Without a ship we're going nowhere!"

"What are your plans once you reach Loegres?" Rokurou asked Velvet. When he didn't get an answer, he chuckled. "Something worth breaking out of prison for I'm guessing."

"Waaaaaaaahchoooo!" A sneeze from Magilou indicated that the weather wasn't very kind and the sorceress was shivering to her boots. "Guwahh. Can't we stand around and chat somewhere nicer? Somewhere with soup to warm the body, tales to warm the heart..." She then noticed the many tails sprouting from my backside and trotted over. "I'll just stay by this cutie and snuggle against the fur. That'll make me warm!"

"No wait-!" Velvet's warning died as the sorceress grabbed one of my tails and wrapped it around herself. "You know what, never mind..."

"Hmmm? Is something wrong?" Magilou asked, feeling better already with the fur pressed against her body. I proceeded to pick a bone from between my canines so I couldn't care less of what she did. Touching my tails wouldn't trigger the Curse since the bracelet upon my wrist inhibited it. "The heat radiating from the velvety softness, I could sleep here all day!"

"Let's just find someone to fix the ship and get a decent meal while we're at it." Velvet said as she looked at all of us. "Any ideas?"

"You're in luck, there's a city called Hellawes nearby. Can't promise they're much for conversation but we'll find food and a shipwright there." Rokurou offered after looking at the map again. "This thing is really helpful."

"Food?!" My ears perked up immediately and I salivated, flexing my claws till they popped. "Conversation or not, I'm gonna have myself a feast! No one's gonna stop me not even the Exorcists!" I grinned. "I could destroy them all in a heartbeat."

"Two problems...no one's gonna want to talk to you in that form and you need money if you want to eat." Velvet said, crushing my hopes right then and there. "Right now we may not even have enough to cover a meal for the four of us."

"But don't discourage, there are ways to get money. When we beat monsters, we'll get gold as reward!" Magilou pipped up, getting my attention. "So it's a win-win situation: You get to snack and rake in the dough. How does that sound?"

"Hmmm..." Scratching my chin in thought I nodded my head in agreement. "Then I call dibs on the monsters as snacks!"

"Oi, don't hog them all." Velvet spoke as I turned back to my human form, Magilou still wrapped in one of my tails. "I need to feed as well."

"Fine, we'll alternate..." I begrudgingly agreed, noting that only the two of us eats daemons and it would be unfair if I consumed all the prey. _Although whoever catches what gets to eat it..._

"Then we should probably get going." Rokurou grinned, gesturing towards the path with a thumb. "The faster we get out of her, the faster we can go and get some food as well as some people who can fix our ship."

* * *

 _Across the frozen tundra..._

True to Magilou's word we came across more wildlife and earned money to boot. There were also chests that harbored some good stuff for us to loot: Money, equipment, material for trade. Finding chests were essential basically and lucky for us there were tons of opportunities laying about in the snow.

"Brrr! The wind, it bites!" The sorceress exclaimed as she ran alongside us, puffing out clouds of breath onto her hands. "How can you stand wearing that garb? It doesn't seem humanly possible!"

"I never said I was human." Velvet replied just as I took out two Orcs, or pig-man monsters with a single swipe of my claws. We came upon them patrolling the area before Magilou's voice reached their ears and they came running with their wooden hammers in the air. "If I was...I wouldn't have made it out this far."

"So nice to be free again, able to move these bones like I want!" The samurai spoke with a laugh as we continued our trek through the winter wonderland.

"So, Rokurou. What got you all chained up in that mold-hole?" Magilou asked with a curious look on her face. "I already asked the other lovely ladies but you still remain a mysterious."

"Ties to home." He replied, tilting his head to the side in thought. "It's complicated so I won't be able to explain it."

"Ohoho, then are you really sure you ought to be taking on further debts?" The sorceress questioned.

"It's a teaching of House Rangetsu. 'Pay what you owe.'" Rokurou replied curtly. "It's what I live by."

"Well! What a civilized family you've got."

"Were you in for long?" asked Velvet, drawn into the conversation. "Inside Titania I mean."

"Three years, maybe. That's why I know so little about the state of the world."

"Not as long as me." I spoke up, glaring up towards the mountains with my arms folded behind my head. "I've been caged in that place a little after my birth. My world was confined to that little space, my knowledge of what's going on is very limited. And my social skills is quite poor...as you three can tell."

"Oh gosh, me too!" The sorceress stated dramatically. "Arte-wielding malakhim?! I've never seen such a thing! How much ELSE have I missed? Used to be witches who had a monopoly on charms and hexes. Can you even comprehend what this'll do to business?"

"Should I even ask why you were imprisoned?" Rokurou asked her.

"Heh! Bagged for unlicensed witchcraft. It was a tale of betrayal most wicked and foul!" Something about what she said rubbed Velvet the wrong way but the Therion held her tongue as Magilou continued, "Care to hear more? You'll cry! I'll laugh! Emotions will touch the rafters!"

"No thank you."

"Who knew she'd be so dramatic." Velvet and I turned and began to walk off, not interested at all by the story.

"Tch! So mean!" Magilou shouted after us, swelling up her cheeks with disgust. "Come back here and allow me to tell you my story!"

"Forget about the story, what is that?" I pointed at what seemed to be a cat creature standing before three chests. It seemed to be fiddling with its paws in a very nervous gesture, shaking its head to and fro almost like it was in a dilemma. "A cat? May I eat it?"

"We should probably see what it needs." Velvet said, shaking her head no. "No point in eating something if there's some benefit for us in the long run."

"Oh no, I'm in so much trouble, so much trouble..." The creature spoke as we walked towards it, the tail twitching back and forth with nervousness. "Won't somebody paw-lease help a kitty out, meow?"

"Ugh...even the cat puns are unbearable." I groaned with annoyance.

"Well you were right about it being a weirdo."

"It looks like a cat daemon...and why is there a fish attached to its tail?" Rokurou claimed, folding his arms over his chest. "I've definitely not heard anything like this before."

"Simmer down, you three!" Magilou spoke up, planting both hands on her hips and scowled. "Also don't be so rude to judge base on appearance! She's just a Katz! I haven't seen one in a good long while. They're practically harmless!"

"And how are they different from the others besides the talking?" I asked.

"It's complicated. Katz are a mysterious bunch. Just...think of them as a special kind of malak...sort of." Magilou replied and I just shrugged, stating that I wouldn't want to delve too deep within a prey's history.

"Hey!" The creature turned to us, a gleaming look in her eyes. "I don't suppose you happen to be carrying any Katz spirit on you? They look like this!" With the wave of a paw two almost translucent orbs floated in front of us.

"That's just like what I found at Titania...the place where I was held up." Velvet noted when the colors of the orbs changed. "I just collected them because they were there..." Holding out a hand she summoned a bigger looking orb and the Katz smiled.

"Purrfect! You could say they're kinda like our souls to us!"

"Katz spirits hmm..."

"Sometimes we call 'em 'kitten caboodles,' too!"

"Don't get off topic." I said, giving the creature a small glare. "And 'kitten caboodles'? Is that the best you could do?"

"How about 'kitty clumps'? Does that suit you fancy?"

"What do you want from us?" By now I had my fingers flexed, ready to pounce on the Katz and eat it. "You got 5 minutes before I devour you."

"No need to get all angry. One night we were having a feast so meowvelous our souls flew right out of our bodies!" The Katz explained, causing me to lose my temper and agreed to listen to its tale. "That's why I need your help to find the Katz spirits and use them to emeowcipate my friends!"

"Emeowcipate...really?" Even Rokurou was getting irked by the puns and I couldn't blame him. The Katz wasn't too bothered as she explained further.

"It means to use Katz spirits to free Katz who are locked away in Katz boxes like these here, meow." She gestured with a paw at the three chests. Moving around she used one of the spirits to unlock a chest and out popped an ape deamon. "Here you'd say apecipate." The other spirit went to unlock another chest, a dog popping out this time. "This one would be edogcipate. And finally..."

"I think I get what's going on here..." Velvet said as she watched the orb she fished out unlocked the last chest. A Katz much like the one who was telling us the story popped out.

"Whew! I'm free, meow!" A brown-furred Katz spoke, wiping her whiskers with a paw.

"See? Emeowcipate!" The ape, the dog and all three dogs disappeared with a puff of smoke as the pink-furred one grinned.

"By that logic...shouldn't it be ekatzcipate?" asked Velvet.

"Oh not you too..." I growled a warning at her, annoyed by everything. "We don't have time for these games!"

"Wow, you're way more clever than you look! Fur real!" The pink-furred Katz spoke in awe. "I guess I totally underestimated you!"

"What?! So you WERE trying to trick us!" I screamed, balling a fire ball within the palm of my hand. "I'll roast you off the face of this planet!"

"Please! Our Katz spirits got scattered fur and wide, and so many sad Katz are trapped without them!" The Katz pleaded, looking at me with such sad eyes. I held the fire ball in my hand, watching them closely.

"Seek out the Katz spirits and rescue our poor clawst brothers and sisters, meow!" The second Katz spoke.

"Why should I?" Velvet crossed her arms with a doubtful look. "I got a mission to finish, I can't run around collecting Katz spirits..."

"Please, think of the Katz!"

"That's not a valid reason!" I really wanted to get this over with and my patience levels had gone out the window.

"You know, Katz have weird and mysterious powers." Magilou spoke up, placing a hand on my wrist to stop me from throwing the fireball. "There's a good chance we might benefit by having them in our debt."

"And why didn't you tell us this sooner?"

"Because I wanted to see how you'd react."

"You are the WORST!" I shouted at her.

"We'll make it worth your while, I purr-romise!" The brown-furred Katz purred.

"Don't you start that nonsense too."

"And...if we snub them, they might put a curse on us." The sorceress added, getting a confirmed head nod from the pink-furred Katz. "So it should be in our best interest to not anger them."

"I don't care if we're cursed or not." I held up my right arm, glaring at the bracelet. "I've been cursed since the moment I received this. My family is known for our Curses. I'm not afraid of what these little furballs are capable of!"

"Scavenging for lost souls...we're already traveling so why not help them on our side?" Rokurou suggested with a hearty laugh, trying to lighten the air and dispel any negativity. "It shouldn't hurt...at least not the curse related part."

"Just remember that it's on the side." Velvet agreed as she thought about her options. "If I see the Katz spirits I'll collect them as we go but don't think that it'll deter my priority to my mission."

"You won't be disappointed, meow!"

"We're greatly in your debt!"

"Fine fine, let's get going." I huffed, fireball extinguished and it looked as though I was very cranky. "The cold isn't the only thing that's bothering me."

* * *

 _Somewhere..._

Leaving the Katz behind to their own devices we continued on our way, stumbling upon the outside walls of the town. There were most certainly guards and a whole lot of them as they patrolled the gate, eyes peeled for intruders.

"Exorcists." Velvet murmured as we took shelter behind a large rock, narrowing her eyes at her enemies. "Why am I not surprised to see them?"

"Well, that's just inconsiderate." Magilou scoffed with disbelief, kicking the ground twice with her foot. "Word of the prison break couldn't have traveled so quickly."

"I somehow doubt they'll just let us in, looking the way we do." Rokurou whispered, kneeling down so he was out of sight. "We definitely stick out like a sore thumb."

"No shit Sherlock and with my temper those Exorcists wouldn't stand a chance." I watched as one guard began to tell jokes to another, my ears catching the laughter that rode with the winds. "However...I'm not interested in just charging through the front gate. That just takes up too much energy and time."

"Glad we're thinking on the same page." Velvet spoke, getting a small glare from me. "Any more hindrances and I may lose myself too."

"I-I-I apologize...about earlier..." A voice said and we turned to see the young boy malak from earlier, twiddling his thumbs and looking at the ground apologetically. "I didn't mean to steal this." Rummaging around in his robes he pulled out what seemed to be some kind of equipment for the ship.

"The compass..." Velvet said, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. Giving us one final glances the malak turned and ran off, disappearing out of sight. "Why did he have it...?"

"You okay with this?" asked Rokurou, his eyes following the path with concern. "He could be working for the Exorcists even as we speak."

"We're following him." Velvet stood up and we followed suit, awaiting her orders. "There should be another route, since he came to us without getting seen."

"Hmm...is he your dessert?" Magilou asked, a subtle hint underlying the tone and I could smell something else radiating from the question. "Oh Velvet, I didn't you know you were like that!"

"If necessary." Velvet turned to glare at the sorceress, knowing damn well what she was hinting at but she won't fall for the bait and thus didn't address the second half of her statement. We took a path near the right side of the cliff as the compass was safely stashed away, avoiding the front gate all together. Coming across a large cave we went in and noticed a ladder. Climbing it we found ourselves in what seemed to be a warehouse filled with crates and other items.

"Ugh, so dusty!" I complained, fighting back the urge to sneeze when I accidentally inhaled a small particle of dust. "Seriously this place is a mess!"

"Not only that..." Magilou's nose wiggled as she took a whiff of the scent, eyebrows narrowed in concentration. "The smell...Flamestone!"

"Huh? Flamestone?" Rokurou asked, unheard of the term and looked at her to explain. "What's that?" Is it rare?"

"It's also known as melchionite. A rare mineral only found in Northgand." The sorceress informed us, a smirk slowly stretching across her face. "Mix it with sulfur and you get explosives! Mix it with oil and you get fuel! It's a really handy material used to form all sorts of different things!"

"Sounds dangerous...if it's true."

"Believe me or not, it's your call." said Magilou, wiggling her eyebrows at Velvet who promptly ignored the movement.

"The boy got away. But thanks to him we're in the city." Rokurou smiled, folding his arms over his chest. "Guess it's time for us the scout out the maritime guild. That's where we'll find a group of shipwrights as well as who's in charge of all these storehouses. I wouldn't mind getting more information about the shipping trade and stuff of that nature."

"We could also use a true sailor if there is one." Velvet mused, her expression stoic and calculative as she planned it out carefully within her mind. "There's no point in sailing if none of us have that experience."

"Now that's a plan I endorse! We dodged the sea's murderous grasp this time, but who's to say our luck will hold?"

"Say things like that and our luck will run out." Velvet really had to restrain herself from hitting the sorceress. "Can't you be a little optimistic for once?"

"We should look for some weapons, too, if I'm to be any use in a fight." The samurai beamed, ignoring their little cat fight. "I can't wait to see what they have in the armory!"

"You're...still wearing one." Velvet commented, still confused as to why he doesn't use Stormhowl.

"Nope. Not an option." He said with confidence accompanied by the shake of a head. "No matter how many times you may ask I will not use Stormhowl."

"Fine I guess I'll join you in that case." I said, rattling the chains still tied around the bracelet on my arm. "Maybe they'll have something useful to getting this bracelet off...after some decent meal of course. Those wild animals were hardly what I call 'sustainable'. I demand satisfaction."

"Very well then, let's get going." Velvet took the lead, allowing us to gather any items before heading towards the door. "We don't have time to waste."


	5. Chapter 5: Trouble in Hellawes

**A/N** : Chapter 5 of _Rekindle_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OC. Tales of Beresia belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Trouble in Hellawes**

 _Shipping port..._

When we stepped out into the open we were greeted by a lot of ships docked at the harbor. The weather was still the same as ever: freezing cold and light snow flurries floated through the air. I held back my urge to sneeze but my mouth soon formed a deep scowl as the flurries drenched my fur. We found a couple more spirit orbs as well as treasure chests that housed some very helpful items.

"When I grow up, I'm going to be an exorcist!" The sound of squabbling children talking caught our attention and we stopped to eavesdrop for a minute. I've never seen children before but they were exactly how I imagined, little hell spawns. "They're so cool and well respected!"

"Me too!" A girl spoke with excitement, blowing her breath on her hands to keep them warm. "I want to protect my mommy and daddy!"

"Hold up. Exorcists are warriors who protect the whole world from daemons." The boy looked at the girl with surprise. "You can't just protect your parents. You've got to protect everyone!"

"Urk! That sounds really hard..." The girl mumbled, puffing her cheeks up with annoyance. "And a lot of responsibilities to keep in check..."

"It is!" The boy puffed up his chest with proud, a smug expression on his face. "And it's precisely because the exorcists are working so hard that we look up to them!"

"Yeah! Exorcists are the best!"

"Without them, we wouldn't even be here!"

"Hmph. They're treated like heroes." Velvet scoffed when she heard the talk, crossing her arms over her chest. "But I suppose to normal people...they are."

"Forget them, let's get inside and find some grub. I have half a mind to eat everything I see." I walked over, avoiding the eyes of the guards and pushing the gate open. The others followed and we found ourselves inside the city. There was a long of space while the shops were all lined up along the right and left. "Wow, I had my expectations waaaaay too high. This city is just like how I imagined it would be...dreary and not at all impressive. Even the civilians look all depressed and whatnot."

"Ever thought it was because, oh I don't know, this terrible weather?" Magilou sassed me and I glared at her from the corner of my eye. "Don't give me that look I've been complaining about it the moment we crash landed."

"Too bad we couldn't do anything to silence you huh?"

"What's with that attitude? I'm just stating the truth!"

"Both of you shut your traps. We have things to accomplish here and we can't waste anymore time." Velvet commanded and took the lead, her cloak billowing out behind her. "The faster we get this done, the faster we can leave and you two won't complain so much."

"I don't know, there's a lot of things in this world worth complaining about." I commented and drew a tail around myself, enjoying the feel of the fur against my face. "But...I see a group of sailors over there so that could be the guild we're looking for."

"Oh hey, that weapon shop looks promising!" Rokurou exclaimed off to the side, his eye widening with excitement. He walked off in haste, waving an arm farewell. "Well then ladies, good luck with the shipwright search. We'll meet up later!"

"Boys...poor creatures just can't be separated from their favorite toys, can they?" Magilou sighed once the samurai disappeared, shaking her head from side to side.

"You'd know what that feels like wouldn't you."

"What are you implying there?" She scowled at me and we were back at it again with our squabbling, our faces inches from one another. "Are you saying I'm a boy?! How dare you!"

"Don't make me separate you two. I'm starting to feel a headache form within my temple." Velvet sighed with annoyance before approaching a couple of guys loitering in front of the guild. "Is this a shipping guild?"

"Damn that Dyle! What does he think he's doing by trying to resist?" One of the men spat, ignoring her question for the moment. "Cost me a fortune if he's left to his own devices."

"We wouldn't be in this mess if he were dead, huh guild master?" The other asked, arms crossed over his chest. "That would've saved me a lot of headaches."

"Oi, our ship needs to be repaired." I snapped at them, totally incredulous by their lack of manners. _Humans._ I snorted with disgust before adding, "Can you or can you not do that?"

"It's not a matter if we can or can't, but you caught us in a rough spot." The guild master said before sighing with defeat. "Therefore we can't really be of use to you."

"Guild business is currently suspended." A female voice spoke up and we turned to see a well-dressed woman followed by two little malakins, one of which we know pretty well. "By the order of Exorcist Teresa of the Abbey."

"Exorcist." I hissed under my breath, narrowing my eyes at the well-dressed woman who seemed to hold my gaze pretty well. "Why am I not surprised to see them around here?"

"Lady Teresa..."

"Number Two, did I give you permission to speak?" The one known as Teresa asked, not even batting an eye at the malakin. He opened to say something, closed his mouth and gazed at the snowy ground by his feet.

 _Bitch..._ I growled, keeping the sound quiet in the back of my throat. _I don't like her._

"Lady Teresa, how long must this punishment of ours last?" One of the men asked with concern in his voice, looking at her with hopeful eyes. "You know it was all Dyle's fault, don't you milady?"

"I know Dyle was the one smuggling flamestone, but your guild, through its negligence, shares responsibility." She replied, folding her arms across her chest. "This rule was set down by the Abbey to maintain order. Do you disagree with it?"

"N-No milady." The man flailed his arms in front of him and gazed down with defeat. "Of course not...I wouldn't even think of disobeying the orders of the Abbey..."

"We will capture, interrogate, and sentence Dyle. When this has been accomplished, you will be free to continue business." Teresa promised them. Once she finished she moved her eyes to us, more importantly Velvet. I noticed her gazing at the raven-haired Therion carefully and seemed to be intrigued by the bandaged arm. "And you...girl? Aren't you cold dressed like that?"

"I've just arrived from the south." Velvet spoke as she addressed the Exorcist in a calm voice. "I wasn't aware Northgand was so cold." Crossing her arms over her chest she straightened up and released a sneeze, grimacing with disgust. "Aachoo."

"A young woman ought to keep herself warm...and you got some nice looking fur, it would look good to line clothes..." She turned to look at me and I slowly pulled my lips back to reveal rows of sharp teeth. She narrowed her eyes in response. "Are you perhaps...a daemon?"

"If you got anything more important than putting a label on me, I suggest you go on your way." I growled, wrapping my tails around me to keep warm from the frostbite. "Quit being so nosy in other people's business. And don't think of shaving me cause if you do, I'll kill you."

"Such ill manners, how unfitting for a lady such as yourself."

"I won't be patronized by the likes of you! You retched bi—"

"Please forgive her, she must've picked up something from staying outside in this weather." Velvet quickly stepped in, forcing my head down in a bow with a hand. "Thank you for your concern, we'll be careful in the future."

"Hmph, you have better manners than that beast. Keep her on a tight leash should our paths meet again, I won't be so kind the second time around." Teresa commented before turning on her heels and stormed off with the two malakins behind her.

"Wretched Exorcist scum! Who asked you to be nice to us?!" I snapped once Velvet released me, my tails lashing out behind me in a frenzy. I've never felt so ashamed as to bow my head to my enemy and it made me mad to no end. "I'll show her what it feels like to trifle with me!"

"Watch yourself, this city praises those kind of people. We saw it with those kids outside the gate." Velvet glared at me with warning. "Keep your emotions in check."

"Tch...fine." I grumbled, still mad about what happened. "I hope we get to eat soon because I'm starving."

"My, my. So this is how the Abbey flexes its muscle, hm?" Magilou watched the Exorcist storm off with a twinkle in her eye. She didn't say anything during the entire conversation, cataloging everything in her mind. "Cruel cruel world these days."

"Besides that I seem to understand the situation better. If this Dyle person is captured, then our ship can be repaired...right?" Velvet looked at both the guild master and his officer. "Do we have a deal?"

"Sure, but I warn you...he's a daemon...much like your friend there." The officer tilted his head in my direction. "He escaped after killing a bunch of soldiers who tried to capture him. Can't be done without an exorcist."

"You really need to stop depending on the Exorcists." I commented but was promptly ignored but also received an elbow to the ribs from Velvet. _They really do kiss the ass of the Abbey. How embarrassing and what a low standard...even for them._

"He's from a small village outside the city. If you're doing this, I'd imagine that's a good place to start searching." The guild master informed us, even if he was a little against harming someone that had been beneficial to the group. "He's a brute with the head of a lizard so be prepared for bloodshed. He won't come quietly no matter what we do."

"Find us a good navigator while you wait." Velvet said before gesturing for Magilou and I to follow her. "We'll go and get Dyle."

"I wonder what darling Rokurou's up to in the meantime." The sorceress commented as we left the shipping guild behind us. "He hasn't stayed in touch with us for awhile since we split up."

"We can go and see him at the weapon shop." Velvet replied, using up fifteen of the Katz spirits she picked up to open one of those silly cat boxes. The Katz within gave her some kind of item before going on his merry way, waving a paw in farewell. We also decided to walk around and find treasure chests as well as other items that could be useful on our journey.

"While you two go and pick up the samurai I'm gonna go hunt." I spoke up, unable to suppress the hunger pains any longer. I was basically salivating through my teeth. "It's really hard to resist gobbling all these people so I guess I'll settle for the wild life." I bounded away and vanished, leaving the two other girls to look for Rokurou.

"Found a really good one!" The samurai exclaimed when he noticed Velvet and Magilou approach him and grinned. He had been making small talk with the shop owner, laughing and smiling as if they were old buddies. "The blade was badly rusted, but once I polished it up, it turned out to have a fine edge."

"I can scarcely believe something of that quality was languishing in my bargain bin." The weapon dealer chimed in. "This man had taught me quite a lesson as he was brandishing the sword. The weapon is his as payment."

"My thanks kind sir!"

"...so you'll help us out?" Velvet arched an eyebrow in questioning. "Now that you have a blade that suits you fancy?"

"Of course. How did your errand fare?" He looked around for a minute, his smile turning down slightly into a small frown. "Hold on, where's the other one?"

"She's out hunting since we didn't have time to get any decent meals. But we have our next assignment." Velvet proceeded to tell him what had transpired including the part of running into an Exorcist from the Abbey. He stood there silently with a thoughtful look on his face until she finished.

"So that's how it is. We're hunting a reptilian daemon called Dyle right? Then I'm guessing we're checking out his hometown first to see if he's in."

"Have fun you kids~" Magilou said before trotting off with her arms folded behind her head. "I'll be around here in case you need me!"

"Huh? You aren't coming along with us?" Rokurou asked with surprise. "Did you have something else in mind?"

"I'm afraid I've got bigger fish to fry at the moment – that little matter of tracking down my betrayer." She informed them before a teasing smile appeared on her face. "Besides, if I stick around, I'm not so sure I wouldn't wind up as someone's midnight snack~"

"My palate has standards." Velvet growled, knowing very well that that last part was a jab at her. "Very high standards."

"All the more reason to skedaddle~! Don't be strangers kiddies and I'll see you all around~" Waving goodbye the sorceress walked off to do her own thing, whistling as she did so.

"Ugh, sometimes I don't even know how to handle her."

"Hey look, a yak!" Rokurou noted as the two of them walked passed the said animal, watching as it chowed down on a wad of grass. "Hey Velvet, here's a fun fact – the hairs of a yak's tail is considered to be among the highest quality materials for a helmet's plume."

"Wow, really? Also, I don't care."

"At my house, we had this helmet...It was an incredible piece, covered with yak-tail hair." The samurai continued as his companion's sass went over his head. "The talk of the town. 'House Rangetsu has two treasures going for it,' people would say, 'the Helm of Yak, and Stormhowl.'"

"They must not have thought very highly of the rest of you..."

"Hmm? Why do you say that?" He looked at her with confusion before thinking about it. "Although...I guess I can think of a reason or two...Oh well. It's nothing a daemon like me has to worry about."

"That's nice...wait..." Velvet turned when her ears picked up an interesting conversation. Motioning for Rokurou to follow her they inched their way closer to hear better. "What are they talking about?"

"Did you hear?" The male was talking to his female companion as they glanced at the calm waters below them. "That navigator for the shipping guild, Dyle...he turned into a daemon. He supposedly killed and ate his crew mates, then ran off."

"Daemonblight, in Hellawes?!" The woman gasped with fright, covering her mouth with a gloved hand. "What shall we do?!"

"No need to worry. Lady Teresa is already dealing with it as we speak." The man said with a knowing smile. "She'll hunt down that Dyle character in no time. Aren't we blessed for having an Exorcist as talented as Lady Teresa in our midst."

"They say that once you change, you can never turn back into a human...is killing him our only option?" She asked him, feeling a little pity for the said seaman. "Isn't there another way?"

"Killing him would be a mercy. Daemons are just monsters who've lost their humanity."

"Yeah, you're right. Things like that aren't human anymore...so we shouldn't think about it too hard."

"Not human, huh..." Velvet murmured. She was partly glad I was out otherwise I wouldn't have contained myself and gobbled up the two humans immediately. "Lets go. We've completed everything in here so we'll begin our hunt."

* * *

 _Outside the gate..._

Swinging by the port to see if there was anything going on the two of them spoke with a sailor who operated a merchant ship containing barrels of flamestone and sulfur. According to the sailor flamestone was the new explosive material the Abbey developed and with it, powerful cannons and explosives were created.

"Explosives...sounds dangerous." Velvet commented.

"It is dangerous but it's also necessary." The sailor replied as he retied a knot within the sails. "Not only are there daemons about, but we've humans to contend with. Not to mention the plethora of pirates and bandits that seemed to be popping up more than ever. But on the bright side, with the higher demand for flamestone, Hellawes is prospering like never before."

"I see."

"Yup! Flamestone is the only reason our little snowbound city is thriving. A kneel-haul to anyone who says otherwise."

"So this ship goes to the capital. If I asked, could you take us with you?"

"Nope, not happening." The sailor shook his head no. "The guild ordered a total suspension of activity and we can't lift anchor since we're under their jurisdiction and rules. Besides, any ship carrying precious ores has an Exorcist on board for security. You need the Abbey's permission before moving forward."

"...Sounds like they keep a tight lid on things."

"Yeah, I guess. But the Abbey makes the rules in the end, so what are you gonna do? Without the Abbey, humanity would be dead in the water. A kneel-haul to anyone that says otherwise."

"Well then, that fellow seems to be holding those Exorcists up on pedestals." Rokurou said as he and Velvet went back out into the frozen tundra through the secret passage we took. "It concerns me that the Abbey is controlling their lives..."

"What took you two so long? Anything new in the city that I missed?" I asked, wiping some blood off my lips when I spotted them. I had several successful hunts, patting my stomach with a satisfied grin on my face. "Well forget it, while I was scavenging around and having my fill I noticed a village not too far away. I believe that's where we need to go."

"We'll see what we can find there. Hopefully there's clues to point us where Doyle is." The raven-haired Therion took the lead and we walked in through the gate. Once we arrived someone else had beaten us to the punch, taking out what seemed to be a daemon that disappeared into the wind as a cluster of dark particles.

The first thing that captured my attention was her long bright-red hair that had alternating streaks of peach-pink color. I've never seen that kind of hair color before and it was held by two spiky teal hairbands into long twin tails. Her outfit consisted of a mid-length dress with multiple layers of white ruffles and matching long boots for her feet. They were covered with golden-orange patterns.

Her long sleeved jacket was covered in a variant shade of blue but it came to a stop just above her waist. It had the same lacing as the dress, adorned by multiple buttons and complete with a meandering orange shape at the wrists. For her hands she wore white finger-less gloves. Just judging her by that kind of outfit we all knew she was a part of the Abbey.

"Thank goodness I was here...but any further attacks..." The mysterious girl spoke nervously, holding her weapon tightly within her hand.

"An Exorcist...was that Dyle she slew?" Rokurou questioned with worry. "Cause if it was, we're screwed and we won't be able to have our ship repaired by the guild."

"No, it wasn't a lizard daemon." Velvet shook her head in response. When the girl turned around, Velvet seemed to be taken by surprise. "Are you...crying?"

"It's just...everything that's going on." The girl wiped them away with her thumb and when she glanced at us she have very bright emerald-colored orbs. "Daemons run rampant in the out lands, and yet the Abbey has explicitly chosen not to come to their aid."

 _Why am I not surprised...?_ I frowned, gazing at the fair skinned girl. _Although why isn't she walking beside that Teresa character...? Aren't they partners or something?_

"It's true we haven't the forces to be everywhere at once, and the people of the out lands refuse to obey the Abbey's rules." The girl's hands curled into tight fists. "It's a heartless decision, I know, but it follows from the Abbey's perfect logic and principle."

"Why make excuses to me?" Velvet said as she looked off to the side. Rokurou for his part stayed quiet, his arms folded and a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I'm not making—!" The girl paused before releasing a huff. Taking a step back she raised her right arm and did a one arm salute, holding her fist over her heart. "My name is Eleanor Hume. I'm a praetor patrolling for the Abbey. What is your business here?"

"A praetor...just like that boy from jail..." I mused, remembering the time Velvet and I met Oscar back at the island jail. "Although she's different from the boy, an exorcist is just an exorcist and nothing more."

"We heard there was a murderous daemon in this town who fled from Hellawes." Velvet answered in a bored tone after giving me a warning look. She tends to do that a lot much to my annoyance.

"The shipping guild incident, yes. I've been looking into it, but I haven't found any clues yet." Eleanor told us. "Worry not. We will track down that foul daemon and put it to the sword." Dipping her head, she turned on her heels and walked off.

"She's a weird one." I said with a huff. "Never met a praetor quite like her...and I've only met two."

"Did the exorcist lady go away?" A tiny voice spoke up and we turned to see a small girl standing not too far off. She was dressed in a fur-lined coat with mitts over her hands and boots on her feet.

"Yeah, she's gone." Rokurou answered, keeping his tone light so he wouldn't scare her away. "There's no need to fear., I'm sure she won't be returning that quickly."

" Oh good, I didn't want us to get eaten!" The girl hurried up to us with somewhat of a smile upon her face. She seemed to be a resident from the village, at least that's what her scent was telling me.

"Eaten?" Velvet questioned, giving the girl her full attention. "What do you mean by that?"

"I-I mean...I don't know anything about a daemon!" She spoke quickly, trying to cover up her slip.

"It's fine, you can tell me." Rokurou smiled, acting friendly to gain the girl's trust. "I'll keep it a secret, I promise."

"O-Okay but only if you keep it." She said, looking around a few minutes before continuing, "...There's a lizard daemon in a cave to the north. He said he'd eat the whole village up if I told anyone."

"Well aren't you a brave one, color me surprise." I said, nodding my head. "I misjudged you small girl."

"I'll give you these! Don't tell anybody, alright?" Rummaging around her pockets she produced bright red apples and placed them in Rokurou's hands. "You promise!"

"Got it, you have nothing to worry about." He told her with confidence, adding an additional head nod. "That's a promise." Giving us one last smile the girl disappeared, most likely returning home. He tossed an apple to Velvet while I turned down the fruit, so he put it within his clothes to save for later. As much as I would love to eat it I already stuffed myself with the wild game so I wasn't hungry.

"A cave to the north? Hmm..." Velvet mused with thought, looking from the apple to the large mountains in the back. "Over there huh..."

"Gotta say, the folks here really don't trust the exorcists, do they? Completely opposite from the folks back in Hellawes." Rokurou noted and he and Velvet took a bite out of the fruit. The girl's eyes widened with surprise as she chewed the food and after she swallowed she couldn't help but look at the fruit with an unreadable expression. The samurai on the other hand had a beaming look on his face. "Mmm! This is actually rather good."

"Velvet doesn't seem to think along the same line as you..." I said, folding my arms over my head. "What's wrong? Was the apple bruised? Did you eat a worm or something? How unlucky..."

"Nothing..." She spoke before looking at us with a sad expression. "I can't taste a thing..." She finished off the apple regardless, thinking that if she tossed it away into the snow it would've gone to waste. "We learned what we need to so let's look for that cave and find Dyle."


	6. Chapter 6: Dyle the daemon

**A/N** : Chapter 6 of _Rekindle_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OC. Tales of Beresia belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Dyle the daemon**

 _Beardsley..._

The village we were roaming around was called Beardsley, according to the map. We made small talk with the locals, Rokurou got belched on by a yak and I couldn't have laughed harder than I ever had in my life. He had a grimace on his face the entire time, unable to get the stench out of his nostrils for awhile and had tears dripping from his eyes.

"The important takeaway is that Exorcists are neither invincible nor infallible." Velvet pointed out as we left the village behind us, her eyes facing forward as she led us forward. "But there's something that's been bugging me for awhile. That woman said she was patrolling for the Abbey...what does that mean, exactly?"

"They're handpicked agents who travel the kingdom gauging the Abbey's success in the daemon fight." Rokurou explained with a small smile on his face, glad to have gotten the yak's stench out of the way. "They also make sure the other exorcists are conducting themselves properly. I suppose you could liken them to military police. Since the Abbey imposes so many rules on the populace, they want to show they're aboveboard."

"But if they need to police themselves, isn't that as good as announcing corruption in the ranks?" Velvet asked.

"Nah, some would say it's more honest this way. Idealism alone won't change the world. Perhaps that's why our determined little exorcist was crying."

"I bet you're right, it does fit the picture."

"Although it's best not to take a woman's tears at face value."

"Huh?" Velvet narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"Just some common wisdom."

"Hey love birds would you not be all arguing and whatnot?" I spoke without any happiness in my voice, grimacing at the two of them with annoyance to boot. "We have a mission to complete or did you forget?"

"Love birds?!"

"Ahahaha! I guess you could say that~" Rokurou chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with a hand. "By the way, Velvet can I ask you a question?"

"You can do whatever you want, but just because you ask doesn't mean you're getting an answer." was the witty reply. "Keep that in mind."

"So...about that...whole apple thing. You...can't taste anything?"

"...Not entirely." She replied, tilting her head to the side. "I can taste blood."

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing." She confirmed with a head nod. "And I don't think I can feel full,either."

"You don't think? You talk like you've never had a good meal before."

"How could we? We were in that rotten jail for a while and the food there ain't good." I intervened, scratching the back of my ear with a finger. "You'd think we lost our sense of taste a long time ago."

"Well...she isn't wrong, but I really haven't had a decent meal like humans do. What I've eaten shouldn't be considered normal food, not since I became a daemon."

"So, what have you been eating?"

"Please. You were in that prison with me." She snapped at him with annoyance. "You and I both know exactly what we've been eating during our time in there."

"I...I'm sorry."

"Forget it." She waved her hand dismissively and turned on her heels. "This is just what I am now. As long as I have a recipe, I can still cook...And now I don't even have to worry about how it tastes. Food keeps my strength up. That's all I care about."

"And we're just your guinea pigs." I commented from the side and got a very nasty glare in response. "I'm not that off...don't give me that kind of look."

"No one asked you to eat." She told me, planting her hands on her hips. "If you don't want it then don't eat it."

"Yeah you're right. I might as well forge for food instead."

"Oh by the way, the guy at that weapon shop gave me some booze for the trip!" Rokurou said with happiness as we trudged through the icecaps, tapping at the flask hanging by his side. "I nearly forgot about it, how silly of me."

"You really think it's a good idea to drink when we've got daemons to fight?" Velvet questioned with mild anger in her voice, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "You're on a whole level of something."

"A little drink can warm me up."

"I thought you couldn't feel the cold."

"Well that's true I suppose. Well, I'm not drinking it, anyway. I'm using it for something." He assured her, raising both arms in surrender. "Really, it's a good idea and I'm glad the owner told me about it."

"Like what? Got some wounds to clean?"

"That's one use for it, sure but I've got something more practical in mind." He chuckled at her curiosity and explained, "By pouring it on the pegs that hold the blade and hilt together, the wood will swell and hold everything firmly in place in battle. I wouldn't have to worry about it breaking easily."

"You've got such a one-track mind, I swear."

"That's just the kind of daemon I am."

"But it's not that bad of a tactic." I spoke up while Velvet shook her head with a huff. "Rather him be useful then useless during a fight. The more hands the better...although I can easily blow our enemies with just my tails alone. You two just get in my way."

"There's no need to flaunt your skills damn it." Velvet snapped with annoyance.

"Don't hog all the fun, leave some daemons for me." He complained, throwing us his best puppy-dog eyes. "I need to release my pent up energy too!"

"We've made it." The raven-haired Therion noted as we spotted an open hole in the mountain. After the long trek and defeating the wild monsters I was eager to get out of the cold. "Lets go."

* * *

 _Hadlow Hollow..._

The cavern was as spacious as I imagined it to be, like really really spacious. There were spirits inside that we collected as well as more intriguing monsters for both Velvet and I to munch on without having to fight over scraps. What's even better is that they came in hordes, so basically we had ourselves a feast every time we were sent into battle. There were cavern squids and what looked like cavern centipedes; those were my favorite things to munch on as I soon discovered.

"If I eat too many of these I think I'm gonna hurl..." I noted, patting my stomach with a hand after a fight. "Ugh...forget I'm just gonna kill them all. If you want to eat them, speak up so I don't accidentally destroy them."

"Good to know." Velvet spoke before noticing a boulder sitting idly between two large structures of crystals. "Hmm...we could break that boulder with ease."

"And people say I'm foolhardy." Rokurou commented to the side, giving her a curious look. "You didn't hit your heard hard did you?"

"Quit joking. I'm really serious here. Are we not daemons?"

"Fox Girl, can't you just lift those boulders out of the way with your tails?" The samurai asked me as I proceeded to pick something out from between my teeth with a finger. "Should be a breeze."

"I rather use my fists." I replied and pulverized the boulder to dust, opening up to a brand new pathway. "Getting my fur dirty is a complete no no."

"Ugh...what's that smell?" Velvet grimaced as we walked into the new area, her nose wrinkling up with disgust. "Words can't even describe what I'm smelling."

"Oil?" Rokurou wondered, tilting his head in thought after he took a good whiff. "Why is the scent of oil around here?"

"We are no where near the ports...perhaps someone plans to blow things up for an explosion?" I commented and drew a hand over my ear like a cat would. As we went further in we noticed patches of black ooze on the floor. "Ew, what is that?"

"That would be tar. We need to watch our steps cause if we get stuck we won't be able to get out." Rokurou explained to us. "This is seriously some cement-like material, but the stretchy kind of cement."

"Then another question would be why is there tar in these caves? Not only there but there's corpses of those unfortunate creatures that fell in before us." I shook my head to the side. "What a waste of food if you ask me."

"This boulder won't be able to be broken but it does look unstable." Throwing her shoulder against it until she got it to budge, Velvet pushed the large rock into the tar pit and watched as it settled down. "Hmm so that's what it is."

"You know what they say! 'Falling off a rock only makes us stronger!'" Rokurou laughed, holding onto his sides until his laughter subsided. "Oh man, I impress myself sometimes!"

"I...don't think that's quite how the saying goes..." said Velvet as she rolled her eyes at him with annoyance. "Now if you're gonna stay here and be a comedian then I'm gonna go ahead and jump."

"Don't fall and crack your skull!"

"Wow you're funny." I said as I followed Velvet, bounding over the rocks like they were stepping stones. No sooner had we stepped foot into the new uncharted territory we were attacked by what seemed to be a masked bat. The designs on the mask itself rubbed me the wrong way. "Oh gross what the hell? There's some weird monsters over here."

"I wouldn't be surprised. We're weird monsters ourselves are we not?"

"I'd consider myself to be a little more better than 'weird'. Please, I have to hold myself to the highest esteem." I replied, slashing the bat with both claws and slapping the others away with my tails. "A heiress of the Ahri Clan shouldn't be categorized in the same slot as those...things."

"By the way, what kind of daemon are you Rokurou?" Velvet asked the samurai as he flicked the blood off his blades. "You are a fine swordsman."

"I'm far from it since I have a long way to go." He replied, sheathing his swords in the process. "As to what kind of daemon, I'm a war daemon. A yaksha to be precise."

"It makes sense."

"You're awfully peculiar yourself, even for a daemon." He thought about it, rubbing his chin with a hand. "What kind are you?"

"I'm a therion." She looked off to the side as she said so, almost as if she was annoyed by becoming something she didn't wish to become. "At least that's what I think they call me...I know I was used back in the prison to eat others."

"Therion? That's a new one for me. Is it because you devour daemons through that arm of yours?"

"Yeah that's as far as my knowledge on my powers go. I keep feeding and feeding, taking strength and energy from those I absorb."

"Hmm...A woman who devours her enemies...I bet your daemon type is... 'Hag'. Am I right?" The smirk on Rokurou's face wasn't hard to spot and I couldn't help but sweat-dropped in reaction. "Tell me I'm spot on about that description!"

"What?" Velvet growled at him, her daemon arm itching to rip him to shreds. "Say that again. I dare you."

"Whoa there...you've got the death-glares down, at least." He chuckled at her, taking a few steps back out of safety precautions. "You don't need to perfect that!"

"Stupid..." I shook my head and sighed.

"Aside from that, you mentioned you were from the Ahri Clan." He then turned his attention to me. "As far as I know their fur colors were white and the legend goes that anyone who touched their tails would be cursed. How come your fur isn't white?"

"I was just born that way, not every litter of kits have pure white fur." I held my right arm up to show him the bracelet. "You see this? This thing hinders me from using my full power and I can't even retain my daemon form for long. That's why people can touch my tails and not get cursed on the spot." I slammed it against the wall of the cavern, making the surrounding walls to shutter. "As you can see it also doesn't come off easily no matter what I do. If I want to wager, the guy in charge of the Abbey placed it on me, and I want nothing more to tear him a new one."

"You are quite a negative child huh? Would it hurt for you to smile once in awhile?" Rokurou asked me. "You're almost as depressing as her."

"Whatever." Velvet and I spoke simultaneously.

"Look you two even speak the same way!" He laughed, clapping us on the back. "It's like you two were meant to be sisters!"

"Sisters huh..." I glanced at Velvet in wonder.

"I already had a brother..." She closed her eyes once before reopening them. She looked really sad as if imagining something from her past. "I don't want to relive what happened to him again. I wouldn't have been able to handle it."

"You can spare us the detail, besides I believe we're almost there!" Rokurou pointed to a wide area. We hurried over and noticed a huge huge puddle of black tar. There was no way forward unless we wanted to become stuck. "Hmm, did we miss another path on the way over here? I for sure didn't see one."

"It looks like somebody fell into the tar without knowing...an exorcist..." My eyes narrowed at the exposed emblem on the clothes stuck not too far away from the ledge. The head, arms and legs were hidden within the tar, leaving the body exposed. "I'd say good riddance but that would be bad considering I'm talking about the dead here..."

"Did he slip and fall?" The samurai asked, planting his hands on his hips in wonder. "I don't think so...but considering the terrain it's a good hypothetical explanation."

"I'm guessing he was thrown in...the clothes don't look that torn if he were to be in a fight." Velvet said as she took a closer look at the material. "There's no way an exorcist would be that stupid."

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" We turned to see a lizard man approaching us, a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. He swung a couple of times and narrowed his eyes at us. "Grrrrrrrrr!"

"Is this the guy we're looking for?" I asked as we prepared for battle, feeling my power oozing out from the bracelet. Snapping my fingers black fur sprouted and covered my entire body until no more human skin could be seen. My two claws fell on both sides of the other daemons while my head hovered above them. Opening my eyes I glared at the lizard as all nine of my tails fanned out behind me. "It's nice when the prey comes to you!"

"A huge daemon...with an abnormal amount of power..." He spoke, pointing his sword at me and kept his eyes on the other two. "More fools came to hunt me down from Hellawes?"

"I wonder how your flesh taste between my teeth..." I growled, raising my right hand to rake my claws across his shield. The sparks flew once I made contact and he slid back a few inches. "It's been awhile since I had reptilian cuisine!"

"Don't hog all the fun!" Velvet exclaimed as she and Rokurou rushed into to fight. It's a wonder that the entire field we were standing on didn't fall underneath my weight, but I only lashed out once with my claws. The others weaved around as my tails attacked, coming in at different angles which made it harder to predict.

The guy was quite agile and very good at defense, able to deflect our attacks and counter with well-aimed strikes. I withdrew with a hiss as he slashed at one of my tails, narrowed as a thin line of red appeared beneath the fur. Velvet and Rokurou themselves sported cuts on their skin from the slashes but to be told we were dealing him more damage than he was to us.

"I won't die...yet!" The lizard daemon spoke with anger once we pressured him a lot, kneeling on one knee before us. His lips were pulled back in a snarl and his reptilian eyes glared at each and every one of us. "Not until I have my revenge!"

"Revenge?" Velvet repeated, lowering her guard in curiosity. It's not common for her to show interest but the sound of revenge of any captures her attention immediately. "What do you mean by that exactly?"

"The bastards at the guild who tried to kill me!" The lizard daemon explained, rising till he was standing on his two legs. The sword he used to fight against us was sheathed at his waist, its owner no longer in the mood to fight."They want me to take the fall for their smuggling operation!"

"Are you saying the whole guild was involved?" Velvet asked him, retracting her weapon and looked at him.

"Of course! Hahaha!" He laughed before crossing his arms across his chest. "You think a second-rate sailor like me could pull off all that mischief by myself?! That's insane! I mean, sure I was in on it. Helping them wasn't without its benefits."

"He has a point. It would take more than one person to dig that tunnel into the warehouse." Rokurou thought about it, putting away his own weapons. "Not to mention loading it up with all the flamestone...that does take more than one person to complete."

"Problem is, our extra-legal activities were a little TOO successful. The Abbey was bound to notice us at some point."

"And dead men tell no tales...so they blame it on you and kill you to cover it up." The samurai summarized, grasping the idea of the situation. "Looks like it's not going quite how they planned. And so we took up that mission since they didn't want to do it themselves."

"How do you mean to get this revenge of yours?" Velvet asked him.

"A raid on Hellawes. I'll kill the lot of them, this I swear!"

"That's a dumb plan...Dyle I presume? Imagine the number of exorcists that clutter that measly town...especially that blonde woman. You'd be hunted down no matter what." I stated before my time ran out and I turned back to my human form. Blowing a strand out of my face I continued speaking, "If you just want to get the guild to pay for what they did to you...can't we do something about those flamestones instead?"

"What do you have in mind little girl?"

"First...give us your tail."

"Huh?! My tail?!" He looked scared for a minute the moment I spoke about loosing a limb. "What does my tail have to do with anything?!"

"We have to bring something so they know that you're dead." I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him and showing how serious I was. "Come on, don't be a baby. We couldn't possibility return empty handed. Or if you want a leg removed that could do it as well."

"W-W-Wait...fine." He turned around and held his breath. "Do it!"

 _SWOOOSH~_

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He rolled away with pain as Velvet did the deed as swiftly and painlessly as she could. "God it hurts! Oh god! Have mercy on me!"

"This should be enough to satisfy the exorcists and they'll be out of your skin." The therion handed the tail piece to Rokurou to hold on to since she didn't want to touch it. "Besides, we need a boat fixed and they won't do it until they know that you're dead. So it's a win-win. Of course if you stir things up after I leave, I imagine it'll slow down anyone who dares to follow."

"Hmm...well when you say it like that." Dyle rolled over and looked at the ceiling in thought once he got over the pain. He stood up, noting that the wound had closed up on its own. "If that's what you want, miss. I won't let you down. Now what's the plan with the flamestones?"

"A whole lot of explosions." I smiled an all knowing smile. "Those things are flammable right? Produced from the Abbey and the guild wants to hold as many in stock as they can...imagine what would've happened if they were to blow up? That'd be a major blow to their supplies."

"Hmm...you don't have dull head on your shoulders kid."

"Then we'll get going back to town to let them know about what happened to you. You aren't gonna go anywhere right?" Velvet asked him.

"Miss, there's nowhere for me to go." Dyle replied with a soft chuckle. "I'll think about the plan some more but I need to clear my head first. I won't be going anywhere for awhile."

"Lets go you two." Velvet jerked her head towards the gate that would warp us back to the entrance. "I hope the guild stays true to their words when we meet them."


	7. Chapter 7: Teresa's Anger

**A/N** : Chapter 7 of _Rekindle_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters except my own OC. Tales of Beresia belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Teresa's Anger**

 _Hellawes..._

We arrived back into the gloomy city without running into any exorcists which I noted to be really strange. You would think that they would keep a tighter eye on the city since it houses almost all of their flamestones but we managed to walk through the gates without any trouble. I kept my ears on alert just in case, eyes darting from side to side for anything suspicious.

"We're lucky the snow has been white for the past few years." A woman stated, stopping to chat with us out of the blue. She was quite young, a few years older than both Velvet and I but no older than 30 years old if I were to guess. "The pure white color is always pretty to gaze at."

"Why is that lucky?" asked Velvet, an eyebrow raised at the woman's statement. Despite how pressed for time we were we did decided to carry on the conversation out of politeness. "Snow is always white."

"That's where you're wrong my friend. In Hellawes, it isn't always. Depending on the direction of the wind and what the volcano is up to, volcanic ash can mix in and turn the snow gray." The woman explained to us. "Isn't that interesting?"

"There's a volcano? How come we've never seen it?" Rokurou questioned. "Is it nearby or did we not pay extra attention to our surroundings?"

"It's actually quite a ways up north, but it's the biggest volcano in all of Midgand. There's no way you guys would've missed it." She smiled. "Mount Killaraus it's called, and that's where we mine our flamestone. Actually, it's the only place you can mine the stuff to be precise."

"Hmmm, Mount Killaraus..." Velvet rolled the name on her tongue with a thoughtful expression.

"Have you ever seen a volcano, Velvet? They're quite the structure." The samurai grinned as an idea popped into his head. "Perhaps if we take a detour up north we can go and see it for ourselves."

"No thanks. I'm not interested in seeing a mountain that spits fire." She huffed with annoyance and bid farewell to the woman because politeness be damned. "Come on, we need to get to the guild."

"This is Dyle's tail!" The guild's master exclaimed when he was handed the object. He had been laughing with his buddies when we interrupted them and the laughter died half-way in."Did you...Did you really kill him?!"

"We found him dead in a lake of tar. This is all we could salvage without falling in." Velvet told him in a monotonous voice. "In fact his body disappeared the moment I pulled the tai."

"Is that so?"

"You can doubt us all you like, but we brought you the daemon's body. Who else can say that?" Velvet challenged and when she didn't hear any complaints she added, "Now get to work on the ship. You promised."

"I'm afraid we can't." His officer spoke up from the side, apologizing to us quickly. "We still need Lady Teresa's permission first."

"Curses I should have known we still have to ask that sly snake." I snorted with disgust, folding my arms over my chest. "We're kinda in a hurry and I'm sure it'd be worse for you if your 'precious Lady Teresa' knew who the real smugglers were."

"You wouldn't!" The master gasped as he looked between Velvet and I. "You can't!"

"It's a trade." Velvet planted her hands on her hips, glaring at him with a deadly glint in her eyes. "Repair the ship on the beach and we'll sail away quietly." Seeing there was no backing out the man sighed with defeat.

"Very well, I'll find you your shipwrights and we'll see you at the shore." Jerking his head to get a few more helpers for the job, he and his officer disappeared away quietly to get the job done.

"Hey, this just crossed my mind but this could be the perfect opportunity for us to upgrade our equipment." Rokurou said after awhile, a thoughtful expression on his face. "How 'bout it?"

"What are you talking about?" Velvet turned to look at him. "Explain yourself."

"You don't know?"

"We didn't have anything like that in our village." She replied as a matter-of-fact. "Not that I can remember."

"Don't look at me I practically grew up in the jail." I stated hotly, wrapping my tails around for warmth. I know I wasn't bothered by the cold but I felt comfortable within my fur cocoon. "Those fools better hurry up..."

"All the more reason, then! Come on, let's go." He grabbed my wrist and Velvet's wrist and dragged us along. "This will be fun!"

"H—Hey! You don't need to be so pushy!" Velvet commented hotly, wiggling her hand out of his grasp. "And I can walk on my own, thanks."

"Unhand me!" I slapped his hand with my own before slapping his face with a tail or two. "The nerve of manhandling me, you're lucky I can't Curse you by touch alone!"

"That's just how I am. Get used to it." He replied before plodding ahead of us, whistling a happy tune. "Come on, don't be so stubborn you two."

"Tch, it's just like that sorceress said about men and their toys." Velvet rolled her eyes at my comment but since we'd have to wait until the ship was repaired we decided to humor him and approached the shop. "Ugh and the stench is way worse than before."

"Velvet do you wanna go first?" Rokurou offered as the owner of the shop smiled to us in greeting. "I'm sure you have the necessary materials needed to upgrade your Blood Blade."

"Fine. Since you insist." She replied and approached the window. "Just so you know I'm still not liking your pushy attitude..."

"Yeah yeah I hear ya." He waved a hand in dismissal. "And what about you Fox girl?"

"The only 'equipment' I have is this annoying piece of junk." I gestured to the bracelet with a scowl upon my face. "There's no way in hell I'm upgrading it."

"You don't have anything else?" The samurai asked me.

"Nope. Never felt the need for such things." I lazily drew a hand over one of my ears, flicking it a couple of times. "It just drags you down if you carry a lot of things just for an itty bitty upgrade."

"Here's another tip, you can also dismantle your upgraded equipment too. Once an equipment has been dismantled you could potentially receive some additional materials. It's a very interesting process."

"It seems like kind of a hassle." The Therion commented, crossing her arms over her chest. "I do see the potential in increasing the power of my equipments though..."

"Maybe at first, sure. But once you get it down it'll be second nature." Rokurou stated with encouragement. "You'll eventually learn how to maximize your personal strengths through wise upgrading and dismantling."

"I guess it has its perks." Velvet caved in after thinking about it. "If I were to continue my journey I may have to upgrade when I need to. And if this upgrading business makes me stronger then I'll for sure figure it out...if it'll help me take him down..."

"The guy in charge of the Abbey?" I questioned. "Sounds to me like you have a...particular grudge against him."

"You have no idea..."

"No I don't, you're absolutely right. And perhaps right now isn't the time for you to throw us into your back story." I nodded my head before making my way back to the entrance. "Let's get going. There's nothing for us to do here."

"True and it looks like we'll get the repairs we need." Velvet agreed. "So there's a plus."

"That's only half of our problem. Without a proper crew, we'll wind up shipwrecked again." Rokurou spoke up. "Sorry but I had to be that one guy to say it."

"We don't have time to find one. And we can't hire a ship without permission."

"We'll just have to do what we can. But we've seen where my sailing skills get us."

"I'm not forcing you to come. I'll do it alone, if I have to."

"Why don't we ask lizard daemon Dyle?" I commented loudly as we stepped out onto the frozen world. "He's a sailor up for grabs. And he said he was a second-rate...whatever that means."

"He is?" Velvet asked. "Since when?"

"Since the guild pegged him as a traitor and wanted him dead. Oh and since the ship will be fixed I should probably stock up on food. God knows it's a matter of time before I eat you."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Is that a challenge?" I grinned at Velvet, my lips pulled back to show gleaming white teeth. "Oh boy I can't wait for that day to come."

"We're coming up to the guild people and going to fetch Dyle is in the opposite direction." Rokurou spoke up, getting our attention. We could see our ragged boat and a small group of people huddled before it. "Since we're here already lets see how she's doing and hopefully there's some good news! We can continue our conversation of persuading Dyle to come with us at a later time."

"She's hopeless. Sorry to give you lot the news." The guild master said once we approached him, spotting us from the corner of his eyes. He, his commanding officer and another mate were standing beside the ship with gloomy expressions on their faces. "Her kneel's busted. It'd be faster to build a new ship."

"Her keel?" Velvet asked, not sure about the terminology. "What does that mean?"

"You could say she's like a man with a broken back." Rokurou suggested. "That's not a good sign."

"And how in the blazes did you end up running aground here? I wouldn't think it possible."

"Hey gotta congratulate this man right here." I pointed to the samurai who scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Mr. Miraclefingers and his sailing skills."

"Oh come now, you're too kind."

"If you can't help, that's enough. Go back to town." Velvet ordered before turning to the two of us. "I guess we have to find a new one. I hope there's enough time..."

 _A storm is brewing..._ I tilted my head up to see the flashes of lightning in the distance. Looking down at the bracelet around my wrist I frowned to myself. _Something is gonna happen soon..._

"Lets get back to the city then. We won't find anything useful here." Velvet spoke up after giving the ship a once-over. It took a lot of effort on her part not to lash out at the guild because they ended up not fixing the ship like they said they would. "Not to mention we have yet to see what that Magilou is up to..."

"You worried about her?" I teased and she turned her nose into the air with a huff.

"As if. Now come on."

"What about Dyle?" Rokurou asked her.

"We'll worry about him later when we get the chance." was the snappy reply.

* * *

 _Inside a church..._

"O Empyrean Innminat, hear my prayer." Teresa prayed as she knelt before the alter, hands clasped together before her chest. There was no one else with her so she was comfortable speaking the graces aloud. "Blessings and honor unto thee. This frail flesh a sacrifice to be thy foundation..."

"Sister..."

"Oh, Oscar!" She turned when she heard his voice and turned to greet him warmly. "What brings you all the way out here?" However her smile turned into a frown when she noticed that half of his face was wrapped in bandages. "Y-Your face! What happened to you?!"

"A daemon got the better of me." He explained to her, his voice low but there was no malice in his voice. "I've been summoned back to the Abbey, but I thought I'd stop by on my way to give you a greeting."

"My...My poor brother..." Teresa reached out to caress his cheeks, her eyes brimming with concern. "I'm so sorry..."

"There is pain but I can still fight. Don't worry about it. The scar will serve to remind me of my inexperience." He replied, watching as she took a small step back.

"An underhanded foe no doubt."

"No. The daemon saps her enemies' strength with her left hand and turns it against them. It was a girl with black hair and eyes full of fire. But she wasn't alone, for another daemon fought alongside her. A monster fox daemon."

 _What?! Her?_ Teresa's eyes widened in realization when she remembered our first meeting, the image of Velvet was forever burned into her memory. _And the one that stood beside her, the girl with multiple tails...so they were the ones who did this!_

"They pose a threat even for a seasoned praetor. Please take care, dear sister." Oscar frowned when he noticed that she was gritting her teeth tightly. "Teresa? Did you hear me?"

"Mmm, don't worry. I understand and will proceed carefully." She reached out and held his left hand lightly. "A failure as minor as this is not the end of the world."

"To be honest, I came hoping you would cheer me up like that." Oscar smiled before noting the jewelry hanging from her ears. His emerald colored eyes sparkled with warmth. "Well! I do believe I recognize those earrings, I wondered when you'd wear them."

"Of course you'd recognize them. I treasure them dearly so thank you for giving them to me." She replied with a small blush on her face, reaching up to touch one with the tips of her fingers. "I couldn't fathom parting with them."

"They suit you just as well as I thought they would." He nodded his head. "I must take my leave now." Giving her a salute he turned on his heels and walked out. She stared after him, releasing a small sigh of bliss before another set of footsteps approached her. Her eyes hardened the moment she noticed who came to greet her.

"Lady Teresa, we've captured a stowaway." The guard reported angrily, holding Magilou by the arm. "Good thing we caught her, who knows what problems she'd make for us."

"I wasn't stowing away, you twit!" Magilou argued loudly, swatting the arm away. She rubbed her arm, frowning about being handled so roughly. "I merely boarded without permission!"

 _SLAP!_

"You!" Teresa snarled after slapping the sorceress soundly across the cheek. Her anger from knowing that her brother was harmed caught Magilou's attention but she kept quiet. "You're a collaborator with that daemon-woman. Where is she? And that other one...I know you know something about those two."

"Hmph! Your tortures are useless against the mighty Magilou!" Magilou responded hotly, feeling the stinging pain ebb away. After a few minutes of silence she grinned and tilted her head to the side. "Because I'll spill my guts just fine without 'em! You'd just waste your energy!"


	8. Chapter 8: Change in plans

**A/N** : Chapter 8 of _Rekindle_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OC. Tales of Beresia belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Change in plans**

 _Near the gate..._

"Hmm? Those guys arrived faster than us." I noted when we ran into the guys who attempted to repair our ship. We had just approached the entrance of where the tunnel began before noting the group of guild people loitering around with grimace on their faces. "Were we slower than normal?"

"I mean we did take the scenic route." Rokurou stated calmly as we made our way over to them. "As well as hunted a bit so that contributed to us being a bit late."

"It was good battle practice so I shouldn't really complain." I mulled over the idea before shrugging. "Oh well, let's see what they have to say since they haven't returned to their guild."

"There was word from the Abbey. They're holding a public execution for a witch who tried to draw daemons into the city." The shipping master told us, his brows furrowed with discomfort. "Almost everyone within the cities are staying inside during this time but I'm most certain that they'd have their windows propped so they can see what's happening."

"Is that so?" Velvet blinked, knowing that any sort of public executions done by exorcists were quite rare. They would normally go squash any attempt kind of disobedience and cover it up later, thus not drawing any public attention. "Sounds like a real nasty character."

"I'd stay away from the city if I were you. Hence why my boys and I are over here. It's a common tactic for Lady Teresa, threaten one criminal to draw out their allies."

"Are you saying we're criminals? Pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?" Velvet narrowed her eyes dangerously, daring him to retaliate. "You got some nerve."

"That's why I'm warning you...you and your other friends. Lady Teresa's top-class, even among exorcist praetors. I wouldn't think badly of you guys if you fled."

"Running away from the exorcists? That would be a large blow to my pride if I turned tail and I don't fear exorcists one bit!" I proclaimed bravely. "I'll go and kill them all if needed."

"You're quite a foolhardy girl aren't you?" The shipping master stated with an eyebrow quirked. "It would be in your best interest not to get involved with the exorcists."

"A witch...it has to be Magilou, eh?" Rokurou commented once the guild members clammed up, dipping his head in a small nod. " That isn't good for us."

"It looks like the Abbey is on to us. We'd best assume they've already found the tunnel." Velvet frowned, crossing her arms over her chest in thought. "Then our best bet would have to be going through the front gate, I don't sense any of the guards standing in our way...I take that back, there's still a small amount but not that many."

"We shouldn't try to buy a ship at this moment either so lets scratch that idea for now." The samurai noted as we prepared to depart. "That would bring unknown attention to ourselves. Is there any other way to get us some kind of transportation?"

"Don't buy it then. Steal it." The raven-haired Therion said as she took the lead, steering us away from the city for now. "And besides, we already have some unwanted eyes upon us the moment that sorceress was caught."

"Steal a ship from Hellawes? Just the three of us?" Rokurou asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice. "Is that even possible?"

"My offer of recruiting Dyle still stands." I spoke up, folding my arms behind my head. "Like I said he can navigate ships so...it'd be great to have an actual sailor."

"What happens to Magilou then?"

"That's up to the Abbey to decide. We can't do anything about it now." Velvet shook her head from side-to-side. "Let's get going to Dyle's cave and see him." Silently agreeing with her Rokurou and I trudged after her through the snow, braving the snow and the wild daemons. Of course we didn't necessarily kill just for pleasure so we would try to avoid getting into contact whenever possible.

"You know something that seems to intrigue me is the fact that there's this little gutsy flower is growing all the way up here." The samurai smiled at the green vegetation crowding around a bare rock. We were half way to Dyle's cave when he spotted the green patch among a sea of whiteness. "More guts than I at some point hahaha!"

"It's a Princessia..." Velvet stopped to look at it, an unreadable expression upon her face but there was something within her eyes that reminded me of fondness...tenderness towards an object or person. "My sister used to love them..." She then proceeded to tell us about the significance of the flower and why it meant a lot to her. Back then before she was turned into a therion she lived in a welcoming community.

One day when she was younger she stumbled upon two villagers consulting something with Artorius, who back then was her brother-in-law and hasn't turned evil. They had very stern expressions on their faces so she padded up to listen in on their conversation. What struck her as strange was the fact that they were the only ones present and the others in the village weren't mulling about but was also concerning is that the three males seemed to be planning something in secret.

"Preparations are underway now." One of the villagers dressed in red was speaking. "We're all looking forward to it."

"Not much longer now." Artorius spoke, nodding his head with a weary smile. It was faint but she noticed it. "Keep up the good work. I have a good feeling about this in the end."

"Of course." The other villager, a male wearing a off-set blue shirt replied. "We will always do our best for you."

"If anyone can succeed, it's you, sir." The red-shirt male added. "Well then, we'll bid you farewell." Bowing their heads the two walked off, not bothering to cast Velvet a glance.

"The time is nigh, Celica..." Artorius murmured, turning his attention back to the gravestone. "Time to do what needs to be done. For you, for him...for everyone."

"Umm..."

"Is something the matter, Velvet?" The white-haired man asked, looking over at her.

"Oh, no...I uh...I just didn't want to disturb you. That's all." She replied nervously.

"Perish the thought. You're not disturbing anyone – after all, she's your sister too." Artorius smiled, gesturing her to approach. "It wouldn't be right of me not to let you join."

"I know, I just figured that...Well, she loved you the most out of all of us." Velvet mumbled, unable to contain the words coming out of her mouth. "And that, uh...you also loved her more than anyone else, so..."

"Velvet." Artorius shook his head from side-to-side, a small smirk on his face by how childish she was acting. "There's no ranking among family. Celica, Laphicet, you...You're all very important to me."

"Yeah...you're right." She agreed, folding her hands behind her back and blushed. "I...I shouldn't think that way..."

"It's alright." He turned to address the gravestone. "It's almost the anniversary of her death is that right? I'd better go to the cape and pick her a Princessia."

"That's a good idea...I'm sure that would make her happy."

"Yes. I really hope it does as well."

"That snake Artorius..." Back into the current time Velvet couldn't keep the venom out of her voice as she continued to look at the flower. "To see the flower...brings up a lot of bad memories for me."

"They say flowers have different meanings and stuff right?" Rokurou asked. "Any idea what Princessias signify?"

"Betrayal." Velvet answered, her eyes flashing momentarily. Turning on her heels she left without another word and ended the discussion. It was apparent that she didn't want to talk about the flower, or anything related the connection between her and the object. It would seem that some wounds are left to remain as very deep scars.

* * *

 _Inside Dyle's Cave..._

"Hey lizard man! You missed us yet?" I shouted as we approached him. He was exactly where we had left him and he turned with surprise to greet us. Luckily for us we didn't have to waste a lot of time fighting the cavern monsters but if we did, we cleaned up quickly.

"Heh, you damn runt. I hardly missed the sound of your voice just when it was getting nice and quiet." He chuckled playfully, clearly excited to see us on the inside. "What brings you three back here?"

"Things didn't work out the way we thought. We'll lend a hand with your raid." Velvet explained. "There's no other option that we have anyway."

"Pah! Awfully presumptuous, aren'tcha?"

"I'm a daemon. Comes with the territory."

"Kahahahaha!" Dyle threw his head back with a hearty laugh. "You got me there! Ah, gods. I think that's the first time I've laughed since turning daemon." Calming down his expression turned serious. "But are you sure? It's suicide, you know."

"Maybe not. I have a plan. The reason why we're back is because the exorcists have a hostage to lure me into the city."

"Hmm, then we could sneak in through the tunnel into the storehouse..."

"We would go that route but they probably figured it out and laid a trap." I interrupted them, arms folded over my chest. My tails were fanned out behind me, spread out to resemble a fan. "We jumped to that option at first as well so you aren't alone."

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking..."

"Of course. Hit them with a direct frontal assault." Velvet smirked, laughing on the inside at the man's reaction. "It's something they wouldn't be ready for at all."

"You call that a plan?!" Dyle gawked at her with his jaw slightly unhinged. He was not prepared for such a response. "You gotta be kiddin me."

"No. I call it a feint." The raven-haired therion told him before explaining her plan. "As their forces converge on the front, a second group slips in via the tunnel, strikes the docks and secures a ship. After that, the two groups meet up and we all sail away. And I want you at the helm."

"Answer me this then. Who's making this frontal assault of yours?" The lizard daemon was really curious. The plan sounded good and he had an inkling that it would work with the right set of people.

"I will, naturally. And I'm bringing her with me." Velvet pointed to me with a thumb. "That's all we'd need."

"That works I guess. When will you like the raid to happen?"

"Tomorrow since I assume it's getting late. You don't mind if we rest here do you?"

"Make yourself at home. Nothin' so comfy as a bed of tar!" He laughed at his own humor. "Let me know if you three need anything. I'll be in the chamber next door."

"Well the rocks will get as comfortable as comfortable gets." I laid down and wrapped myself into a fur cocoon, drawing a tail over my like a blanket. One of the tails slithered under my head to serve as a pillow. "Better than laying out there in the snow I guess..."

"Speak for yourself, these rocks are killing my back." Rokurou grumbled, sweeping some of the sharper ones with his feet before settling down. "I wonder if I'll be able to sleep well tonight with these rocks stabbing me." Resisting the urge to roll my eyes I snapped my fingers and transformed. The space was a bit cramped since my back barely scraped the ceiling but other than that there was room to adjust.

"Better?" I growled, resting my chin over my paws.

"Oh much better, thanks!" He smiled as he leaned against me, drawing a tail over himself to keep warm and propping another for his pillow. "This is great!"

"It really is." Velvet settled down as well on my other side, running a hand through my fur. Leaning her head against my side she closed her eyes and began to sleep. I slowly looked at both my sleeping companions before closing my eyes as well. As usual my dreams were either vivid or just completely red. Red like blood and madness.

I don't remember when I've ever had a great dream but truth be told I couldn't bring myself to deal with my dreams. It's just something I never bothered with. A sharp pain suddenly occurred in my side and I cracked an eye open. Somewhere in the middle of the night I turned back into my human form, the bracelet a consistent reminder of my limit of how much power I can exert.

"It's time to go. We need to use as much daylight as we can." Velvet told me. She seemed to have rested well but something about her expression told me that she was on edge.

"You..." I regarded her with a gaze, moving a hand over the left side of my body. It seemed as though Velvet kicked me because there was no other way she could have done it and she was the only one laying on that side. "You had a nightmare didn't you."

"She was tossing and turning by the time I woke up." Rokurou noted as he stretched, letting out a sigh of relief once his shoulders popped. "Perhaps even letting out whimpers."

"Don't worry too much. It was just a dream." She assured us, resting her chin over her crossed arms. "Before we head out let me be clear. If there's any doubt in my plan then you aren't obligated to go with me. I would understand since this is a problem that I want to get over with."

"I keep telling you that I still have to repay you. How can I do that if you die?" The samurai smirked in response. "A dead person doesn't do anything for me, just saying."

"You _are_ an odd one."

"Am I though?" He questioned her, quirking an eyebrow with mirth. "Always thought of me as just me. No one else." Then his expression turned serious, eyes watching her reaction carefully. "Velvet...who's this 'Artorius'? Don't think bad of me but you did mutter that name a couple of times while you were asleep..."

"My target." She replied after a minute of silence. It didn't take me long enough to put two and two together and knew that the word 'Artorius' was a taboo for her. "He killed my brother."

"Mmm...Well I suspect Dyle's waiting for us near the entrance." Rokurou smiled as he led us out. "The early we set out, the faster we'll get back to Hellawes."

"Let's get going then." Velvet spoke, abandoning any emotions she felt towards Artorius and refocused on her purpose. "We have a ship to get. And exorcists to devour."

"Did you three sleep well?" Dyle asked when we approached him. He had his arms crossed over his chest but the glint in his eyes spoke volumes on how excited he was to execute the plan. "Not too uncomfortable right?"

"Just fine, thanks. And your special concoction?" asked Velvet.

"Ready for deployment anytime. By the way, this is probably late but I never caught your name."

"Velvet."

"We'll sail together if you live, Velvet." Dyle offered, his lips curling up to display the rows of sharp teeth. "If not, at least I know what to put on your tombstone."

"You got a sharp tongue."

"Kahahaha! I've always been that way!" The lizard daemon laughed out loud with glee. "Nothing you can do that change that aspect of me I'm afraid!"

"Let's go, I can't stand the smell of flirting youths in the air any longer and I'm itching for a fight." I waved my hands back and forth before making my way to the entrance. "I'll wait over there if you two aren't done...doing whatever it is you two are doing."

"Tch, you little runt." He chortled and waved us off. "Best of luck to you kids. I'll follow suit afterward. We'll get off this island in no time."


	9. Chapter 9: Boss battle

**A/N** : Chapter 9 of _Rekindle_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OC. Tales of Beresia belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Boss battle**

 _Hellawes..._

The sun was barely hanging in the sky as Velvet, Rokurou and I made our way towards the gate, eager to get our plan started. The wild beasts that we normally encountered felt restless and didn't attack us on our way to the city which was a stroke of luck. The less noise and battles the more prepared we were to tackling exorcists and we get to conserve our energy for what really mattered.

"Halt! Who goes there?" One of the guards spoke when he noticed us approaching the gate, pointing his weapon with hostility. "State your purpose! No one is allowed to enter until fully inspected!"

"Funny. I'm pretty sure you were expecting us?" Velvet spoke with her arms crossed, not bothering to keep the sharpness of her tongue hidden. "Don't try to act dumb with me."

"It's them!" The other guard spoke, twirling his weapon above his head. Pointing the tip end of his weapon he challenged us to a battle. "They must be apprehended and delivered to Lady Teresa immediately!"

"Oh boy, it's clearly funny how they think they can take us on." I huffed, sweeping my hair back before fixing my eyes on the guards. "But I guess I should praise them for having the guts."

"Quit spouting nonsense and fight!"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Rushing forward I attacked the guard with the long sword while the others attacked the spearman. He grimaced as my strikes breached his defense and slashed his uniform. Stumbling back he built up his confidence and attacked back much to my excitement. Most of my pray fall easily without putting up a fight but he was making it entertaining.

"C'mon, we don't have all day." Velvet sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. The body of the other guard was lying off to the side and not moving; his weapon was broken as well. "Wrap it up soon."

"You hardly broke a sweat Velvet. Sure you didn't take the fight seriously?" Rokurou teased her and she glared at him. He quickly threw up both arms in surrender. "I'm just saying."

"I just didn't want to waste a whole lot of my energy on simple guards." was the reply as I killed the guard, putting him out of his misery. "And you used too much energy just killing him."

"As long as he's dealt with in any form whatsoever I'm good." I replied, licking the blood off my hand and shuddered. The fur lining the tails began to stand on edge like they had been electrified. "Ugh, blood of an exorcist isn't very fulfilling. I'm gonna need to rinse a lot to get the taste out."

"You can do that later, I think the atmosphere within the city has changed." Rokurou noted and he was right the moment we stepped through the gate. The amount of people in the streets have decreased and the shops that were previously opened were now closed. Not even the guys loitering around the guild could be seen. The city became somewhat of a ghost town but we knew they were in hiding; what did caught our attention was the increased amount of exorcists. "Word about the demons spread quickly I see."

"Good. That means less casualties of civilians and makes our job that much easier." Velvet commented as her eyes darted back and forth wearily. "They would only get in our way."

"Civilians or enemies it doesn't make any difference for me...they'll all be dead soon." I grinned when I spotted a large group of exorcists walking out what seemed to be a church. Once the horde of exorcists filled up the stone steps they came to a halt, their eyes seemingly drawn to our presence. "Speak of the devil it seems like our 5-star meal has arrived, unfortunately not on a silver platter."

"You thinking of devouring them?" asked Rokurou and I shrugged my shoulders in response. "Not that you have to pick up Velvet's habit but I'd assume you would just kill them."

"The stench of their rotting flesh isn't something to sniff at, especially when they're left exposed to the elements for long periods of time. I find them delicious delicacies when it's fresh even if the flesh is of those...exorcists. Beggars can't be choosers."

"At least they are prepared for us." Velvet mused, crossing the iced road without so much as batting an eyelash from the exorcists. In fact I was pretty sure the soldiers were trying really hard not to cower under her gaze. "Most of the opponents we face hardly came prepared."

"Then props to them!" Rokurou laughed, coming up to stand on her left while I occupied her right. The low key foot soldiers surrounded us in a tight circle, weapons poised for striking. The doors opened up and Teresa strutted out with Magilou right by her side. The sorceress seemed to have her arms bound behind her back and couldn't break away from captivity. "And our hostess of the hour has arrived."

"Well, look who actually showed up to rescue me! Aww, you're more of a softie than I ever gave you credit for, daemon-lady!" Magilou stated with happiness in her voice. "You too you fluffy foxie!"

"Don't be fake." answered Velvet.

 _Fluffy foxie?_ I frowned a bit at the nickname. _It is fitting though..._

"You're here...both of you are here. You're the daemons that escaped the island?" It didn't sound like a question and more like a statement, like Teresa wanted to know exactly what we were through oral communication.

"What if we are?"

 _Look at her sassing the exorcist right back._ I couldn't help but grin to myself at the way Velvet carried herself. It's high quality entertainment when the opponent is taunted.

"Excuse you but I am also here if you haven't noticed." Rokurou pointed at himself, noticing that Teresa only had her eyes on Velvet and I. "I'm not just some unwanted baggage needing to be tossed!"

"You hurt my dear Oscar!" Twirling her staff high above her head she brought it down and pointed it at us. "You will pay for that...slowly!"

"What a shock, someone got a scratch and ran home crying wolf." I spoke, scratching my cheek with a finger. The wind blew and I slowly drew my tails around me to keep warm. "Whatever should we do?"

"Don't you have anything better to do with your life instead of mocking your enemies?"

"It seems to be working isn't it?"

"Get them! Beware of that one's left arm!" Teresa screeched, hitting the bottom of her staff against the ground. Immediately the soldiers rushed and chaos erupted. Rokurou unsheathed the blades that were hidden within his sleeves, blocking two spears from the backside. Velvet was at the forefront, unleashing a barrage of kicks and blade strikes.

"Look at all this bloodshed..." I mused, watching as a group of soldiers surrounded me. Tapping a finger against my cheek I put on an innocent expression. "Now what should I do?"

"Don't be intimidated that she's shrouded in a defensive stance, those tails mean nothing to us!"

"It's just a lot of fur! We'll penetrate through with ease!"

"On 3 then!"

"Don't you men know you need consent before you penetrate a woman? You're being really nasty." Holding my right arm out to the side I snapped my fingers. The soldiers took a step back as my body changed and I slammed my claws down upon the ground, lifting my lips to show off my canines. All nine tails unfurled and swayed alongside the breeze, forcing the soldiers to take another step back. "Prepare yourselves."

"Watch the tails!" Teresa's warning came too late as the soldiers were knocked away just by one sweep. Some were knocked into buildings, others fell into the icy waters. Those that managed to survived cast away their fears and fought back. Spears started to prod and pricked my hide; quite irritating to say the least but the exorcists were coming wave upon waves.

My jaws were starting to turn red as I snapped and gobbled up as many soldiers as I could, keeping in mind to not taking the weapons with them least my throat get pierced by accident. If by the off chance I do get a couple of weapons I abort the eating mission and just let the jumbled mess of flesh and bones splatter to the ground. Some of the soldiers vomited on sight.

"There's no end to these exorcists..." Velvet growled as she stood back to back with Rokurou, her chest heaving as she fought to regain her breath. "They're pretty persistent I'll give them that."

"I admire your endurance, but you will regret this soon enough. Number Two." The child malak we ran into on our first visit to the city charged up a fireball on Teresa's command, letting it fly into Velvet's exposed side. She grunted from the impact and landed heavily, bringing an arm up to touch the sensitive skin.

"Velvet!" Rokurou could only glance out the corner of his eye before threatening a couple of soldiers that dared to come close. "Damn it!"

"What terrible timing..." With a poof I appeared back into my human form and frowned. Lifting up my right arm I could see that the bracelet was inflamed, signaling that my time in my bigger form had ran out and needed to recharge. "Tch, well there's that...however it allowed me to stay in my beast form longer than usual so I can't really complain too hard."

"Giving up already?" Teresa questioned. "Here I thought you'd make this fight a bit more...challenging."

"You can't even finish your own work, coward." Velvet rose unsteadily to her feet, fixing the exorcist with a murderous glare. Her skin was smoldering from the fireball and she couldn't help but wince every time the cold wind blew across. "This is merely child's play and you...you are just toying with the lives of others."

"I won't fall for your taunts. That arm of yours is too dangerous. Besides, to dispose of daemon filth, one ought to use an appropriate tool." She tilted her head towards the child. "Quite handy don't you think?"

"Well, I got tools of my own. Tools of flamestone, sulfur, and oil." The raven-haired girl grinned in response.

"Those will...explode." The child spoke in a robotic tone, like he didn't have a will of his own. Teresa looked at him before an explosion rocked the city. Turning she noticed a plume of smoke rising in the distance and the color of her face seemed to drain away.

"What!? Our stores of flamestone!" She was so shocked and worried about how the Abbey would respond that it gave Velvet a chance to roundhouse kick her in the face. The exorcist collapsed on the snow-covered ground, knocked unconscious.

"Rokurou!" She called out just as he cut down an enemy. He responded to her and I dipped my head when she looked at me. The three of us made a beeline towards the port, taking advantage of the commotion and the fact that the soldiers didn't know what they were doing without direct orders.

"Hey! Aren't you forgetting someone?!" Magilou shouted and took off running behind us as we sprinted towards the gate. During the fight she managed to free up her hands and rubbed her wrists delicately. "You three are massive jerks I tell ya! Wait up!"

"What are you all doing?!" At that point Teresa regained consciousness from the kick and began shouting at her subordinates, dusting the snow off her uniform. "After them! Don't let them escape!"

"Lady Teresa! The ships...! The port...!" Two merchants came running in with fearful expressions on their faces. There was soot and beads of sweat all over their faces. "It's all on fire! There's nothing we can do!"

"At this point we've lost a lot of goods and materials! This is valuable money being wasted away!"

"Grrrrr!" Biting her lips with fury she whirled around to instruct those who stood beside her. "Orderlies, put out the fires at once! You two..." She turned to the two malaks who looked at her with wonder, ignoring the soldiers that ran past them to go about their duties. "come with me. We have a more pressing matter to take care of!"

* * *

 _In the port..._

The flames from the storehouse continued to flicker bright as we ran towards the ships. Because of the explosion most of the docked merchant ships were destroyed or barely floated. Velvet continued running and it seemed like she was on the hunt for something. Rokurou ran behind her and Magilou after him. I brought up the rear.

"Move it! We're ready to set sail!" Dale's voice caught our attention and we saw the lizard daemon standing gallantly on a non-broken ship. Taking a giant leap I came up short and dug my nails into the side hull.

"Damn...should've taken a better running start..." I growled to myself, embarrassed at my own performance.

"Oi oi! Watch the paint job will ya? This one's a real beauty...considering the horrible other options." He tutted as I scaled up the ship, a mild frown upon his scaly face. "Woah!" Before I could asked what happened as I hoisted myself up onto the ship a fireball flew over my head and knocked him off his perch. He tumbled across the deck before coming to a halt with his legs in the air. Turning to lean over the railing I saw Magilou running towards the ship while Rokurou and Velvet turned to fight our pursuers.

"I won't let you escape! Never!" Teresa screamed as the two malaks took a fighting stance. "Your journey ends here!"

"Velvet...those are just kids..." Rokurou whispered, feeling conflicted of harming the children. "This isn't right...and I'm a daemon...emotions isn't a common thing."

"There's nothing we can do, they're willing to lay their lives down no matter what." was the response and Velvet rushed forward, feeling adrenaline pump through her veins. Teresa's eyes narrowed when she realized that she was the main target. "The adult is the only threat here."

"You deceitful snake! I'll crush you!" She screamed, using her staff to block the blade that came too close to her neck.

"I'm a daemon." Velvet replied, feeling her left arm burst from the wraps and into its daemon appearance. It has been awhile since she last ate so she wanted to wrap the battle up as quickly as she can. "Spare me your sermons."


	10. Chapter 10: Aifread's Pirate Crew

**A/N** : Chapter 10 of _Rekindle_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OC. Tales of Beresia belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Aifread's Pirate Crew**

 _On the port..._

Even with the two malaks under her control Teresa seemed to have difficulties winning the battle. Not only was Velvet going after her with a killer gaze in her eyes but Rokurou and I were ganging up on the other two, keeping them away and occupied from the exorcist.

"I thought you didn't want to harm the kiddies." I teased him. "But here you are fighting against them."

"A daemon's gotta do what a daemon's gotta do." He replied, ducking as a ball of energy soared over his head. Brandishing his blades he lunged forward, slashing at the body but kept his strikes from being lethal. "But still...I can still find myself holding back."

"Is it because of your emotions?" I drawled, defending myself against an attack just by shrouding my body with my tails. Peeking out I huffed airily, "Such fragile things...you should get rid of them, least they lead you...to your downfall."

"You know I can't do that, no matter how hard I try to scrub myself clean. It's strange because I feel like I shouldn't part with these human feelings. It's a part of me...like a nasty sin."

"Are you ladies done talking?" Velvet growled, sliding back when she received a strong kick from Teresa to the ribs. She gave us a withering look and stated, "This isn't the time and place to chitchat."

"We're stuck on babysitting duty, what did you expect?" One of my tails lazily smacked a malak upside the head just as he was charging up an attack, sending the kid sliding across the ground. This was a reason why I could have my back turned on my opponent because my tails go on auto-drive. "Really now, the little midgets aren't worth our time."

"Those 'little midgets' aren't the real threat." She argued, fixating her gaze on me. Flicking the little splatter of blood that stained her blade she continued, "But they will be if they were to regroup with that exorcist again. We have to keep them separated."

"Then we better stop them from doing just that!" Rokurou yelled and we turned to see our enemies trying to reunite. The malaks were moving slower because of the damage they took but Teresa was still quite mobile. "They definitely don't waste any time chatting like we do!"

"You're absolutely right, we didn't have to stop and chat but we did anyway." I spoke, throwing massive amounts of blue flames towards my opponents. They scrambled out of the way, the distance increasing and the ground charred. "I guess we could always let our fists do all the talking."

"Tch...I can't accept this. I won't accept this..." Teresa scowled after taking a couple of critical hits from Velvet, glaring at us with very hostile eyes. Her uniform was torn and she seemed out of breath. "I promised Oscar...I wouldn't let them through..."

"Sad to say, this is the end of the line for you." Velvet growled, striding forward to get the job done.

"So you think?" A smile appeared on Teresa's face and she said, "As Exorcist Praetor Teresa, I give you this order! Do it, Number Two!"

"Right!" The malak rushed forward, conjuring what seemed to be a glowing orange ball between his hands.

"The kid's gonna blow himself up!" Magilou yelled from the ship, her eyes overlooking the battle from safety. "This is not good if he comes in contact with the ship!"

"He's not going to have that chance!" Velvet dismantled the spell before kicking him in the face. Rushing forward she attempted to cut off Teresa's head, her gauntlet blade meeting that of another. Angered green eyes clashed with mildly surprised golden brown. "You..."

"To think you're a daemon!" Eleanor seethed, feeling betrayed in some way. "You and your crew...! I had my doubts about you, but this wasn't what I predicted."

"The crybaby exorcist?"

"I wasn't crying!" Feeling angry rushing through her body, she deflected Velvet's blade before slamming her foot into the exposed midriff. With a grunt Velvet tumbled back, an arm wrapped around her stomach. "You take that back!"

"Two praetors...this won't look good for us in the long run." Rokurou commented after helping Velvet to her feet. He had a calculating gaze on his face, his mind going into overdrive. "Come on, we have to think here."

"What's there to think?" Changing her arm into its daemon form Velvet grabbed the malak she kicked earlier by the neck, holding him up into the air. He didn't try to resist her, watching her with dull green eyes. "Knock them back. That's an order. Knock them back or I'll eat you!"

"An...order." He spoke, putting his hands together to use a spell that actually blew our opponents away. They fell in a tangled heap of arms and legs.

"Now! While they're still down!" At Velvet's command, Magilou and Rokurou made a mad dash to the ship. Dale was already at the wheel, pulling up the anchor that had been wedged between the rocks below. Taking the malak in hand, the Therion ran after them as well and boarded the ship.

"Tch...and I still didn't have my snack." I grumbled to myself, looking at the fallen forms of the exorcists. "So hungry..."

"Hey girlie! You comin?!" Dale's voice called out to me and I turned to see him looking at me out of confusion. "If you are, give this ship here a small push! We're moving out at quite a slow pace!" Weighing my options I sighed and made my way towards the ship. Placing both hands and all tails against the wood I gave it a good push, giving the ship a head start. As it sailed out I jumped off the ledge and landed on the deck with a loud 'thud', nearly scaring Magilou out of her skin.

"Jesus! Say something before you sneak up on me!" The sorceress shrieked as I stood up. "I could've gotten a heart attack because of you!"

"Yeah yeah..." I waved a dismissive hand in the air, turning to focus on the port that continued to burn in flames. Most of the merchants and townsfolk could only stand back in fright, unsure what to do anymore. They thought the Abbey would protect them and give them a peaceful lifestyle, but that didn't happened. "I hope this dose of what life really is...opens their eyes."

"Why? Why would they DO such a thing to us?!" A boat merchant cried as he watched his ship fall apart. "What did we ever do to them?! This isn't fair!"

"We're finished...Hellawes is no more..." A disgruntled male shook his head with despair. "Where are we supposed to do now?"

"Oh exorcists, please help us!" Another prayed loudly, glazing up to the sky for guidance. "Please send more of your divine from the Abbey in our time of need!"

"Cures you...Curse you!" Teresa's voice was the loudest. Her eyes were wide and from far away I could feel them focused on us. "Mark my words...you daemons haven't seen the last of me!"

"Such ghastly daemons. The Abbey– no, Lord Artorius himself must be informed." Eleanor decided and turned on her heels, leaving the burning town behind. _I hope to meet them again..._

* * *

 _Out at sea..._

The weather seemed to not favor us the further we sailed into the unknown and I noted the dark clouds slowly forming over head. Unfortunately because of the waves that were soon becoming larger and larger I got a serious case of sea sickness, opting to lean halfway over the railing just in case.

"Well that turned out better than I expected..." Rokurou commented, sharing a look with Dyle. The lizard daemon hadn't said anything but his lips were pulled back into a grin. "Though we wound up with a little extra."

"Extra?" repeated Velvet before noticing that she hadn't let go of the malak's hand. The two of them locked eyes and she couldn't help but feel something tug at her heart string. "Oh...you mean him."

"He looks like he'd be a scrumptious midday snack for you!" Magilou teased, getting a small glare from Velvet. "No need to look so scary, this is why people don't like you."

"A snack?"

"She's just teasing, no need to feel nervous." Rokurou stated kindly when the boy looked at them with wonder. "In fact, you'll find that Magilou teases everyone most of the time so don't take her words so seriously."

"No. If that's an order, I accept it." The malak replied in a monotonous voice.

"Uuuuugh, will someone tell him that not everything is an 'order'...blurrrrrgh!" I groaned from where I hung over the railing. With ears lying flat against my head I was not in great shape to do anything and continued to watch the water below. "I don't feel good...at all..."

"Should we really be taking this kid along?" The samurai questioned, a finger drumming against his chin. "Sounds like a hassle..."

"His artes will be useful to us. And we can always get rid of him." said Velvet.

"That's exactly what I was thinking. Malakhim are basically tools. Use 'em and ditch 'em!" Magilou chuckled, giving the boy a knowing smile. "Isn't that right, Number Two?"

"Yes."

"Tch..." Quelling her rising anger at how readily the malak was willing to accept his fate, Velvet decided not to say anything else. As everyone broke up, lost in their own thoughts, she decided to drag Magilou off to the side for some privacy. "How much did you tell them?"

"Oh, you're talking about that. And here I was thinking that you wanted to talk about how you basically trashed their port. Well, I had just started Episode 2, 'Magilou's Fury!' wherein the beautiful witch is captured and tortured by a daemon most cruel!"

"I'm starting to see why they wanted to execute you...and I should've let them do it."

"Don't be so mean, you know you're gonna miss me when I'm gone!"

"I bet I will."

"...your sarcasm is something to be worked on."

"Velvet!" The two of them looked to see Rokurou standing by Dyle, a not so happy look on his face. "A word if you would."

"Go on then~" Magilou prodded her in the back with a sly finger. "Don't keep Prince Charming waiting~"

"I'm gonna eat you when everything is done." Velvet growled before making her way to the hull. On the way she passed the malak who was standing by my side, a hand on my back. Just the fact that he was there, not saying a word but letting me know of his presence, was comforting. "What is it?"

"We need more hands on this ship." The samurai told her, planting his hands on his hips. "We have to set our course and tie down the cargo. I've unfurled the sails. Does that knot look safe to you?"

"Sure. As long as it doesn't come loose." was the reply and she decided to chat with Dyle. "Our destination is Loegres. Can you set a course?"

"I'll do what I can, but this vessel really needs a bigger crew. Out of all the ships we had to chose this one..." He shook his head while keeping his hands on the wheel. "We need to hire more men otherwise we'll be in trouble."

"I never thought about hiring anyone, guess that'll have to start soon if both you and Rokurou say the same thing."

"Besides, if we keep sailing this way..." The lizard daemon clammed up a bit before saying, "There's no thinking about it because there's no turning back." Seeing as he didn't bother sharing anymore of his thoughts she left them, making her way till she paused to look at the boy. There was just something about him that didn't sit right with her and she couldn't get that feeling out of the way.

"Velvet! How's our heading?" Rokurou suddenly yelled, noting that she still held onto a compass. Lifting the instrument up and looking at it weirdly she sighed.

"Uh...this is so hard to read."

"Actually...you're holding it wrong." Number Two spoke, looking at her with such innocence in his eyes. He explained, "It's built to function even if the ship is rolling."

"Huh...is that so?"

"Velvet! Any day now!"

"The heading's fine!" She snapped back before looking at the malak. "Kid, what's your name?"

"Number Two."

"Not that. Your real name, surely you have one." When he shook his head she felt sad for him. Mulling over her thoughts she held out the compass and asked, "Would you like to hold it?" He slowly reached out for it but then hesitated.

"...If that's an order."

"Not again..." I groaned and slowly crawled away, putting some distance between us. "'Order this' and 'Order that' and 'I'll do anything as long as it's an order'...someone please...I'm gonna lay down somewhere..."

"Don't mind her, I've never seen someone get sea sick like that." Velvet murmured, watching as I disappeared around the corner before focusing on the child. "Now I'm asking what you want, not what I want you to do."

"So you're...ordering me to answer?"

"Right, right..." Velvet sighed, understanding my irritation but she felt like she was going to be more forgiving. "You malakhim would destroy yourselves as long as it was an order, wouldn't you?"

"That is our purpose. Our one reason in life."

"You really are tools." Velvet analyzed him carefully before turning around and said, "In that case, keep your mouth shut."

 _KA-BOOM!_

"What the-?!" The dark-haired Therion growled as the ship lurched suddenly to the right. Unfortunately the compass flew over the railings and disappeared under the waves. "What was that?!"

"The compass." Number Two rushed over to the railing, his eyes searching for the instrument. "It's...gone..."

"Cannon fire! Those must be pirates!" Rokurou rushed over to assess the damage. "They really took the jump on us this time!"

"That flag...It's got to be Aifread's pirate crew!" Dyle turned as the other ship approached. "Not to scare anyone but they're well known around these parts."

"They've got the bead on us, folks. And in case you hadn't noticed, we aren't really equipped for sea combat!" Magilou told them, the expression her face looked as though she was close to tearing up. "If anything this is just a merchant ship!"

"To land then! We can fight them there!" Velvet ordered quickly, rushing up to get a bird's eye view of the foggy area. "Lets see what they want with us."

* * *

 _Some unknown land..._

Dyle docked the ship as best he could on the nearest piece of land he saw, which happened to be just a large piece of rock separated from the main body. The ship groaned and finally came to a rest, leaning heavily on the side with a huge hole where the cannonball ripped through. Jumping out they were immediately surrounded by the pirate crew, their swords drawn and eager to fight at the drop of a dime.

"Huh! Well look at that." A young lad wearing the generic pirate outfit looked at them with wonder. To make his outfit more silly there was a yellow bird perched on his hat and it looked really fake. "They really are a buncha daemons. That works in our favor."

"You knowingly pick fights with daemons? Must have a death wish." Rokurou jousted, his nose wrinkling up with disgust and he reached for his swords. "You must know that you're in trouble now that we're on land."

"Number Two, wipe them out. That's an order." Velvet glanced at the boy who nodded in response. "Lets do this fast."

"Whoa there! Calm down, we're not the one you'll be fighting." The sound of heavy boots reached their ears and another male walked up. He wasn't at all impressed with the group and didn't even blink an eye at the amount of hostility aimed at him. "There you are Captain."

"It'll be me you fight." He spoke in a deep voice. Number Two quickly sent out a long range attack, easily deflected as pointed stones rose from the ground. "Is that the best you can do?"

"He's a malak?" Velvet narrowed her eyes in wonder. "This fight's about to get interesting."

"No...I'm the reaper. Now come at me."

"Hey Captain, found one sneaky rat hiding behind some boxes!"

"Get out here!" Two men boarded the ship and threw me out. The unsuspecting attack worsened my sickness and I couldn't move around for awhile. Due to my sharp hearing I deduced that pirates had arrived and the sound of boots clicking against the wood did not belong to any of the others.

"Hmmm?" The blond male looked over his shoulder as I was thrown to the ground, roughly handled by his men. "Is she a part of this daemon crew?"

"Seems to be Sir! Never seen anyone like this before!"

"Maybe we can get some cash off the fur...wouldn't be a bad trade." One of the men said and reached for a tail. "Look at it, makes a nice quality coat."

"No, don't!" Velvet's warning came late as I reared up, latching onto the appendage and ripped it clean out of the socket and away from him. The man screamed, scrambling back as I tore into the flesh with hunger. Other members of the crew took a step back, watching as I devoured it within seconds and blood dribbled down my lips.

"Hmmm...what an exquisite taste." I mused, slowly rising to my feet. Lifting a hand I slowly lapped up any remaining blood, my eyes scanning my surroundings in hopes of my next meal. "Care to give me more of your succulent flesh?"

"Hiiiiieeeeeee! A monster!"

"Calm down, we can take her on! There's more strength in numbers!"

"Piss off!" A male roared, running towards me with his sword raised above his head. "I'll make you pay for that arm!"

"My first meal." Snapping my fingers I transformed into my larger size, taking up most of the space as both pirates and daemons backed up. The man skidded to a halt, his head slowly tilting up to take in my size. Grinning I snapped my jaws around him, breaking him immediately with blood oozing through the spaces in my fangs. Chewing and grinding I swallowed the lump of flesh before sniffing around for some more.

"Captain she'll eat our men!"

"Run away!"

"Hold your places! No one is going anywhere!" The blond ordered, eying me with interest. He was really looking forward to battling against Rokurou, Velvet and Number Two, but that idea went out the window. "She won't attack you if you don't provoke her."

"Unfortunately for you, she doesn't go by that rule." said Velvet as I went for another crew member, my jaws snapping inches from his foot as another mate pulled his friend out of harms way. Snarling with irritation I tried again, snapping my jaws loudly.

"You're telling me she doesn't listen to orders? What kind of a leader are you if your subordinate doesn't obey you?"

"What makes you think I'm the leader?" Velvet frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. "And what makes you think she'll listen to what I say?"

"Well then...I guess I have no choice but to take care of her first." Taking a leap he pulled an arm back with the intent of punching my face. Noticing it, I didn't block and took the punch with a resounding smack to the jaw. Digging my claws into the ground I stayed put and retaliated with my tails, slapping him out of the air.

"Captain!"

"Are you okay?!" The men questioned as the blond was sent flying, crashing into the ground in a puff of smoke and debris. He stood up, wiping the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Now that's interesting...very interesting." He spoke and realized that his right arm was limp by his side. "Oh...and you took out my arm as well. Not many opponents are able to withstand a punch from me, so the fact that you did makes you a worthy adversary."

"Take this seriously." I growled in response, lowering my head till I was at his eye level. "I'll eat you."

"She won't." Velvet spoke up, getting both of our attentions. She nodded her head with confidence. "She won't."

"How do you know?" The blond male questioned.

"You'll see, she'll loosen up in a moment." Velvet watched as I turned back to my human form and smirked when she was right. "And there's your answer."

"Fuck...and I'm still hungry." I grumbled, wiping off any remnants of blood from my mouth. Looking up I noticed that a lot of eyes were staring at me, mainly the pirate crew who were angry but also terrified. "You all gonna just stand there stupidly or are you gonna give me something to eat?"

"Seeing that you've been holding back on me with a beast such as her...and seeing just how she fairs in battle...consider me surprised." The male spoke and turned to look at Velvet. "Even if I were to best you in combat there was a slight chance of me winning against her. But I don't want you all to think that we're here to cause trouble, therefore...you pass the test."


	11. Chapter 11: Eizen and White Turtlez

**A/N** : Chapter 11 of _Rekindle_. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own OC. Tales of Beresia belongs to the rightful owner.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Eizen and White Turtlez**

 _West Laban Tunnel..._

"Well, aren't you the impudent one." Velvet spoke after the blond haired male asked us to join his crew because we apparently, 'passed the test'. "Honestly wasn't expecting you to say that."

"Says the daemon who torched Hellawes." was the snippy remark, one blond eyebrow raised with mild interest. "You and I aren't too different if you think about it."

"You knew about that? Word goes around fast I guess..."

"I hope you realize we're doing you a favor." The leader of the pirates spoke with utmost importance, like he expected us to return the gratitude in some way, shape or form. "If you'd stayed on that course, you would've smashed right up against the Gate of Vortigern."

"You're headed for Midgand, aren't you?" His second in command, the male with the hat and the silly bird on top whose name is Benwick, questioned cheerfully. "That means you're gonna have to go through the narrows up ahead. But the kingdom has a massive fortress there built to defend them...with a tremendous gate."

"Gates are puny and weak!" I barked, picking at a tooth with a hand. Wrapping my tails around myself for comfort I added, "I can crush it no problem if I were to eat something."

"But a fortress...with probably iron defense..." Velvet crossed her arms and thought about it. "This is harder than we originally imagined."

"If this is true then we're in your debt." said Rokurou.

"We desire to pass through as well, but we lack the strength." The tall malakhim admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. "I propose we form a partnership. In fact, it may be better if I take that rascal off your hands."

"Huh?" I looked at him as if he grew a second head. "What did you say?"

"I've seen you fight and you didn't use all your strength. You're strong and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get you to come with me." He gazed at me with stern blue eyes, "What do you say? Will you join us?"

"I don't answer to anyone...especially not someone like you who seems to like giving out orders on a daily basis." I frowned, crossing my arms with defiance over my chest. I barely missed the relieved looks on the faces of the others since I was so preoccupied staring him down. "I wanted a way off the island and I got one through the people I came aboard with. My agenda is completely different from yours anyhow and I don't even like you."

"It doesn't matter whether you like me or not. You will join my crew."

"You can't take her from my crew since I found her first." Velvet narrowed her eyes in warning, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck rise with anger. "And it seems like she's in an agreement as well. If you want you, you'll have to fight me for her."

"Who are you to make a call like that?" He growled, seizing her up. The two of them had been arguing back and forth that it was causing headaches among both crew and daemons alike. "But that's enough of that, would you instead think about extending that olive branch and aid us in our quest?"

"I'd be a fool to blindly trust the words of a pirate." Velvet answered before adding, noting that some of the men were glaring at her as well, "And I'm sure none of your men would like to sail with her." She jabbed a thumb in my direction. "Not after what she did to your poor ship mate."

"You may be correct about that, but do you really want to see the gate for yourself? We won't stop you and we'll even throw you a nice funeral if you like." The muscular blond challenged before walking forward. The others tensed up, assuming he wanted to go another round, but the pirate just walked past without so much as lifting a finger.

"So, what? Are we allowed to refuse?" Magilou asked when he just breezed past without showing any more animosity. "For a pirate such as you to allow your opponents a way out, considered me surprised."

"Your business is your business, and ours is ours. There's nothing more to say."

"Good. Getting tired of all this pirate stench so the farther away you guys are, the more air I can breathe." I remarked just as Benwick rushed up to him with a concerning expression upon his face.

"But First Mate! Y–You can't go alone! We'll all come with you!"

"You'll only get in the way. Stick to the plan and focus on your duties aboard the Van Eltia." with that he continued walking till he left the rest of us behind. While the pirate crew loitered around with nothing else to do, Velvet and the others tried to decide what was the next course of action.

"Tragically, your favorite witch is neither a sailor nor a warrior. All she can really do is look on."

"Who said you were our favorite witch?"

"You're so mean!" Magilou pouted at Velvet's statement, her cheeks puffing up into the size of small golf balls. "Honestly how can some people stand your attitude?"

"And besides, I have no argument to what you said. Because it's true."

"...I can't believe some people actually like you since your demeanor is quite...the rude type."

"Is the Gate of Vortigern really something that impressive, Dyle?" Rokurou asked the lizard daemon who had a thoughtful expression on his face. "I've never seen it before."

"They've got a fortress and a patrolling fleet if I remember correctly, but the gate is the real show." Dyle replied after thinking and collecting his thoughts. "Even a battleship couldn't blast its way through that thing...that little girlie said something interesting. I wonder if she really can take on a gate like that..."

"Before we attempt that option, is there no sea route that avoids the narrows all together?" asked Velvet.

"There is, so to speak, but it's a long way out into the open sea." Dyle scratched his head and sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "We'd just end up shipwrecked."

"Well that's no good." Velvet mused before making her way over to where the pirates were clustered together. Her sights were on the blond boy with the funny hat, Benwick was his name. He looked up when he noticed her approaching them and turned to face her. "What are you folks planning, anyway? Seeing that you came to stop us and all..."

"Like I said, we're getting through that gate. If you're not helping us, then the conversation's over." He said plainly, definitely not a friendly tone in his voice, but he does seem guarded.

"You trying to guilt trip us, boy?" I snarled angrily, feeling my tails sway side-to-side restlessly when my ears picked up on their conversation. "Why we decided to talk to you is beyond me. And I'm still starving!"

"Is it possible to get through?" Velvet ignored me and focused her eyes on the pirate, staring hard enough to the point it looked as though she was staring into his soul.

"If the first mate says he'll do it, he'll do it." Benwick proclaimed proudly, puffing out his chest with confidence. "It doesn't matter that he's a malak. He's got the captain's blessing, and that's enough for us."

"Couldn't you ignore the narrows and just sail around?

"Not now. We lost both our compass and several of our crew in an earlier attack." Benwick shook his head, missing Velvet's reaction to the word 'compass'. Even Number Two reacted to the word but he just looked at the ground with dismay. "But in the end, we're pirates. If someone blocks our way, we can't just fall back!"

"And that's what makes a pirate huh?" Leaving them to their devices, Velvet trudged her way back to her own band of misfits. "The pirates share our goal. I don't think we have any choice but to band together.

"True enough! If forward lies destruction, and backwards lies doom, sideways is your only option!" Magilou chirped, pretty happy about her dramatic performance.

"And yet you don't feel like you want to help out." Velvet growled angrily, her right hand curled into a tight fist.

"I sure don't!" The sorceress admitted with pure honesty.

"That malak isn't all he seems to be. Who knows what's up his sleeves..." Rokurou warned, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "We have to be extra careful when talking to him."

"The kid's a malak too." Magilou walked over to him and asked, "You sense anything out of him?" The kid didn't respond with full words, but he did let out a small 'hmph'. Definitely not coherent or understandable language.

"We both have ulterior motives. In any case, let's go after him." Velvet ordered, waving her hand for us to follow.

"We may need a new navigator who can actually help us get through the rough patches."

"Right, because I couldn't even navigate worth a damn." Dyle scoffed with sarcasm, crossing his arms over his chest and refused to go with us. Magilou herself decided to stay behind as well, stating that she wanted to do some self research among the crew. "Excuse me for not trying to run our ship aground! Good luck trying to swim your way to Midgand."

"Then you can wait with the sorceress and the pirates. If they start moving then go with them. Since we're going to be with their captain, we'll rendezvous at the same spot regardless." was all Velvet said before she led Rokurou, the malak and I into the impending darkness.

* * *

 _Inside the cavern..._

The dampness within created goosebumps to appear along my skin. I couldn't even fathom the thought of letting any of my tails to trail along the surfaces, but luckily for me the ground I walked on was all grass. All sorts of smells bombarded my nose but one in particular caught my attention and it belonged to the malakhim I traded blows with from before. So far the only monsters we had to fight were the slimy slugs that fell from the ceiling.

"There he is." My eyes found the tall, blond-haired male as he finished off what seemed to be a scorpion. The creature let out a death cry before exploding into tiny dark particles.

"So, you have decided to trust a pirate." He spoke, rolling his neck to get the kink out. Turning around he focused on us with a tiny smirk on his face. "Definitely not what I expected to happen."

"Don't get your hopes up." Velvet replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "But if you're prepared to lend us the use of your ship and crew until we reach the capital, we'll help you in exchange."

"...I'll agree to those terms. But there's something I should tell you first." The male spoke after mulling over the pros and cons in his mind. Fishing around his pocket, he took out what looked like a gold coin and flicked it into the air.

 _Hmmm? The image of a reaper and an angel?_ I narrowed my eyes when I noticed what was on the faces of the coin. _Definitely mimics the ideas of life and death..._

"I bring ill fortune to all those around me. The 'Reaper's Curse' if you will..."

"Huh, so you're not too far off from me." I mused, idling brushing a tail fur with a hand. "In terms of having a curse I mean."

"I could flip this coin a thousand times and still land on tails." The man opened his hand to show us the face of death lying on his palm. "Trying to get through the fort cost the lives of five good sailors, ones of which I'll never get back. If you join up with me, I can't guarantee your safety."

"Since when has that ever meant anything? Normally something like that should be said to the enemy..." I bared my teeth at him. "Don't think for a second that we're some spineless creatures. If we're comparing curse power, I have no doubt I have you beat in that department."

"Why would you go out of your way to warn us?" Velvet questioned him.

"Even daemons don't want to meet an unfair death, right?" Not waiting for an answer he tossed the coin, watching as she caught it with a bewildered expression on her face. "If you still want to come with me, just know the risks. It's better than not giving a heads-up."

"Works for me." Velvet gave him back the coin without bothering to look at it. "I land on tails, I'll flip it to heads on my own." Turning his hand over and uncurling his fingers, the head of the angel gazed back at him.

"Your name?" He asked, putting the coin back in his pocket.

"Velvet. This is Number Two." She gestured to the small malak beside her who bowed his head in response but didn't say any words.

"I'm Rokurou. A pleasure." The dark-haired daemon samurai introduced himself.

"Klare Ahri." I spoke when I noticed the man staring at me, his arms folded over his chest. "Seems like we're gonna team up. Consider yourself lucky because now I can't eat you."

"Ahri? As in the Ahri Clan? Now that's a name I've heard of in legends, now I'm seeing one with my own eyes." He nodded his head with approval. "Very well. I'm Eizen."

"Now that we've gotten introductions out of the way, I'm sure you have a plan of attack. Let's hear it." Velvet prompted him.

"To put it bluntly, Vortigern is impregnable. It won't fall to an attack whether by sea or by land."

"So, no plan? That's not reassuring in the slightest." Rokurou commented.

"Wait. What about both at once?" Velvet asked, watching as a small smirk made itself present on Eizen's face. "You're grinning. That means you're thinking the same as I."

"Exactly. We send in the Van Eltia to draw their fleet out of the narrows. So while that's happening we slip inside and open the sea gate ourselves. But not is lost, the Van Eltia will break away and rush back into the channel. Once we climb aboard we'll push through."

"One problem with that plan. If we screw up just one step we're all good as dead." I spoke, the gears within my mind grinding against one another.

"Then don't screw up and we won't die. It's as simple as that."

"Velvet, the iciness of your voice fails to have any affect on me. I don't know why you even try to threaten me." I snapped as I walked past, smacking the back of her head with a tail or two for good measure. "Bantering is so energy consuming and a waste of breath."

"But then again, walking with the reaper, eh? Not a pleasant thought." Rokurou chuckled, folding his arms behind his head. "Although, we were already traveling with a monstrous beast so, one more odd ball isn't going to make any difference! The more the merrier!"

"The plan is already in motion. Let's move, this cave leads to the fortress." Eizen jerked his head before I had a chance to retort, indicating that he would take the lead for awhile. Not complaining we followed him through the cavern and fought monsters along the way.

"The kid's awfully quiet. You think maybe there's something wrong with him?" Rokurou spoke up, glancing at Velvet who just gave him the side-eye. Number Two toiled behind, his hand wrapped around mine; I don't know what it was but his presence was special. I also thought it was cute that he wanted to hold hands in the first place, a hand that wasn't Velvet's for once.

"Number Two's always that way. What more do you want from him?" was the response.

"Stop that. Calling him by a number is cruel."

 _Hmmmm?_ My eyebrow arched in wonder when the kid came to a stop and he turned his head to the right. Trying to follow his line of sight I squinted my eyes against the poorly lit surrounding. _What's he looking at? A plant?  
_

"Is that so? What does 'Rokurou' mean?" Velvet questioned.

"Well, 'Son Number Six.' if we wanted to be technical..."

"Same thing, then. It's a number."

"Not even remotely!"

"...oh, is something over there?" Number Two was pulling at my hand gently, and I moved my feet to follow him. However because I had my attention drawn, the other three disappeared. My ears swiveled around in hopes of picking up the bickering but I heard nothing. _Ah, damn it. Where the hell did they go?_

 _Skitter~ Skitter~ Skitter~_

"A cave scorpion?!" I looked behind me as the creature came at us, its pincers clacking together with excitement. "How did it come here so fast?" Number Two made a noise but covered his mouth with both hands. Unfortunately the monster heard it and went towards him instead. Its tail swayed back and forth before shooting forward, aiming straight for the head.

"Oh no you don't!" I quickly wrapped Number Two up with my tails, wincing when the barbed tip broke through the fur and embedded into my flesh. A tingly feeling floated up and I swore I just got poisoned. Enraged and creating a large blue fireball with one hand I lobbed it, setting the creature aflame. With a dying screech it rolled over onto its back and faded away into little particles. "Fuck off."

"Oi! You two kiddos alright?!" Eizen rushed up with concern, watching as I unwrapped my tails from Number Two. "What happened back here?"

"Why didn't you two say something?!" Velvet yelled at us when she and Rokurou arrived next. "If Eizen hadn't noticed in time, you'd be dead! Both of you!"

"Ha! You think I'd die to something like that?! Who do you think I am!" I shot back before my inflamed tail reminded me of my wound. Lumbering away I said, "I'm gonna go and take care of this before the poison reaches my heart or something like that. And don't bother escorting, I'll follow my nose out. See you on the other side." With that, I disappeared.

"You ordered me to keep my mouth shut..." Number Two answered Velvet's question, lowering his head like he was ashamed. Honestly he looked a kid who was scolded by his mother.

"That's not what I meant!" Her eyes brimming with shock as well as with sadness, Velvet placed her hands on his shoulders and shook him violently. "Why? Why would you do that?"

"Easy there, Velvet." Rokurou placed a hand on her shoulder. "You might scare him even more."

"Let me guess, kid...you were bound by an exorcist?" Eizen spoke up after pondering the thought. He got a head nod in response. He let out a sigh, "I thought so. This boy already has his will sealed away. Malakhim have individual personalities, just like humans. But exorcists have developed methods to seal those personalities away...so they can use malakhim as uncomplaining tools."

"Will he always be like this?" asked Velvet, glancing at Number Two with concern.

"Can't say for sure. I've never seen one escape the exorcists before."

"Then, let's continue on our way." Eizen spoke, noting that there was nothing left for them to stick around for. "We can't let the other lady to wait long."

"Listen, kid. If you're ever in trouble, speak up, ok?" Rokurou turned to address Number Two who trotted by their side. "You nearly gave Velvet a heart attack if I ever saw one. Frankly, she looked like she wanted to tear through hell and back just for you."

"If I'm in...trouble?" Number Two repeated without emotion. The samurai turned to address Eizen instead, wanting to know more about the relationship between exorcists and malakins.

"You said exorcists bind malakhim's free will? How do they do that exactly?"

"Not sure how, but it should be by some kind of spell. We've lived in this land a long time, and we're our own folk, just like humans." Eizen explained to him before shrugging his shoulders. "Only a small portion of humans – those with strong resonance, like the exorcists – were able to perceive our existence."

"But the Advent changed that, didn't it." Rokurou said.

"Now malakhim can be seen by ordinary people. We're being robbed of our free will and made into obedient tools. Humans praise Artorius for providing a miraculous new weapon against daemons, but malakhim aren't mere objects."

"Malakhim aren't things..." Number Two whispered.

"They are." Velvet spoke with conviction before explaining, "As far as Artorius is concerned, malakhim, daemons, and humans are all nothing more than tools. Everything that can have their wills stripped away are used to service his utopia of reason. That's all anyone is to him...Even my brother..."

"Are we there yet? How far out is this tunnel...?" Rokurou asked after half an hour of walking. "We haven't even seen Klare, wonder if she already got out."

"Oh she didn't. I can assure you that's true."

"What? You spot her already?" The samurai looked at Velvet with surprise.

"Yeah, she's talking to that weird looking character." She pointed with a finger in the general direction. "Let's go check it out."

* * *

 _Somewhere near the back of the cavern..._

"Turtlez! Turtlez!"

"Yeah yeah, you said that for quite some time now. These...'turtlez' must be amazing creatures." I couldn't help my eyes from rolling into my skull. However, my right ear twitched to the sound of footsteps, and turning around I realized that it was the others. "Oh, you caught up didn't you? What took you so long?"

"I see you haven't made it out yet. What happened? You were so confident that you'd get outside before the rest of us." Eizen asked me.

"I figured out that the more I moved, the faster the poison flowed through my blood stream. So, I sat here to lick away at the wound when this fellow came along shouting 'Turtlez'. There's only so much my saliva could handle on the surface level, but fortunately he gave me medicine to cure the rest of it that already went further along."

"Are you a...turtle daemon or something?" Velvet asked the unknown stranger, an eyebrow raised in wonder. "What a weird thing to say?"

"No no, you gotz it all wrong! I'm the White Turtlez. Sorry about spookin' youz all!" White Turtlez replied before dipping his head to me. "I wasz just lookin' after youz friend!"

"If you're not a daemon, then perhaps you're a malak?" Rokurou wagered a guess. "Strangest malak I've ever seen too."

"Nope! I'm just a plain ol' Turtlez! Nothin' more 'n nothin' less!" He replied, getting some more curious expressions from the group. "I'm sure you guyz have lotsa questionz about me, but for now, I'd appreciate it if you could hold off on 'em!"

"Uh, right...sure. If you insist."

"Much oblige!"

"Don't ask for too much, he's not gonna play fair any way." I spoke up from where I sat, draping an arm over a knee. "Give me a few more minutes and the poison should be completely out of my system."

"The Turtlez are traveling merchants of considerable savvy. Their services could be quite useful for members of the underworld like us." Eizen informed us based on his knowledge of the group.

"You don't say? Sounds handy." Velvet thought about it. "We could use them to our advantage later when our missions become dangerous."

"You betcha! And at ol' White Turtlez's Shop, we believe the customer's smile is what matterz most! That bein' said, this being where it is, my pricez unfortunately might be a little on the high-"

"Oh no you don't." The therion interrupted, knowing just what was about to happen and decided to stop the train before it left the thought station. "You're gonna give us a bargain."

"I'd love to do that, tootz, but when you doez business out in remote areaz like this, the costz add up and, well..."

"You're just taking advantage of the situation." Velvet narrowed her eyes in warning. "Am I correct?"

"Um...I cant'z entirely deny that, but..." White Turtlez shivered when he noticed the spike in danger level. He could practically see the waves of anger rolling off Velvet. "Perhaps there's somethingz else that could make youz customers happy? A happy medium if youz will?"

"Then that settles it. You'll do business with us at market prices and that's final." Velvet huffed as she felt satisfied with how she handled the business transaction.

"We should seal the deal with a smile, too, since it matters so much to him." Rokurou chuckled at the frown that soon appeared on Velvet's face. He grinned widely, "Like this!"

"M-Much obliged." White Turtlez whimpered, clearly feeling uncomfortable at the smile. "At these pricez, I'm gonna goez in the redz..."

"You ready to go?" Velvet asked me as the male searched through the goods White Turtlez had to offer.

"Yeah...I believe I'm ready to go. Wait a minute..." Standing up I took a deep breath and exhaled. Small particles of dust left my mouth and disappeared into the air. Noticing the intrigued look I said, "Sometimes when we get ailments such as paralysis, poison or sickness we have a way of expelling it out of our bodies. What you saw was the last remnants of poison. Alright, now I'm ready."

"And we are too." Eizen said as he, Rokurou and Number Two approached us after doing their shopping. "We aren't far from the exit."


End file.
